Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 April 2021
1118. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider putting in place a top-up payment on grant schemes to reflect the additional costs that disabled farmers incur in meeting the terms of the schemes in view of the fact that 13% of farmers have a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21193/21]
View answerMy Department is very conscious of ensuring access to services for farmers that have a disability, and aims to ensure that the needs of all its customers, including people with disabilities are met and that the rights of equal treatment are upheld in the delivery of services. In this regard, there are two Access Officers appointed who are responsible for providing or arranging for assistance and guidance to persons with disabilities accessing services provided by the Department. In addition, Department officials are available in all regions to help customers who have questions or concerns on any scheme operated by the Department.
Our website has been redesigned to comply with the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and National Disability Authority (NDA) guidelines and this includes ensuring content is at a suitable reading comprehension level. The on-line self-service options have been developed in a manner which means that customers are not obliged to visit an office and can complete their submissions from home, at a time and pace that suits them. The Department also operates phone helplines for customers that prefer to access our services in this manner and there is also an option for a customer to nominate a representative, such as a family member, to liaise with us on their behalf.
The majority of schemes run by the Department are co-funded by the European Union. In designing schemes included in our Rural Development Programme (RDP) which falls under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the approval of these schemes by the European Commission was contingent on Ireland satisfying a range of what are termed 'ex ante conditionalities'. As part of this process, the Commission was required to confirm the involvement in the RDP consultation process of bodies responsible for the promotion of equal treatment across a range of areas, including disability. This requirement was also reflected in the membership of the RDP Monitoring Committee which was established in order to monitor the implementation of the schemes included in the RDP.
While the range of schemes administered by my Department do not contain specific top up payments, in the last Budget, I secured an important support for disabled farmers with the introduction of Accelerated Capital Allowances for farm safety equipment. This change to the capital allowance treatment of certain farm safety equipment and adaptive equipment for farmers with disabilities places a particular emphasis on supporting those who have suffered life-changing injuries as a result of incidents on farms. With an annual budget of €5m, eligible equipment includes modified controls and seating for farm vehicles as well as access lifts, hoists and wheelchair docking stations.
