Claire Kerrane
Question:331. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the current number of persons with a disability in receipt of the wage subsidy scheme and the ability programme. [34087/21]
View answerThursday, 24 June 2021
Questions (331)
Written answers
The Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) is an employment support to private sector employers, the objective of which is to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities and thereby increase the numbers of people with disabilities participating in the open labour market. The scheme provides financial incentives to private sector employers to hire people with a disability for between 21 and 39 subsidised hours per week under a contract of employment. The basic rate of subsidy is €5.30 per hour giving a total annual subsidy available of €10,748 per annum based on a 39 hour week. The subsidy is paid to the employer.
The WSS is a demand-led scheme and there are currently 1,597 private sector employers availing of the subsidy in respect of 2,535 participant employees.
The Ability Programme was introduced in June 2018 and is a pre-activation programme for young people with disabilities. The funding for this programme will amount to around €16 million over a three year period and is being co-funded by the EU and the Irish Exchequer under the EU's ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) Operational Programme 2014-2020. In total, the programme is supporting over 2,600 young people with disabilities aged between 15 and 29 years of age. Pobal has been contracted by the Department to manage the programme. The programme has been extended by two months and will now conclude at the end of August.
The aim of the Ability Programme is to help bring young people with disabilities who are not work-ready closer to the labour market through engagement in training and personal development activities, which would be followed by an incremental exposure to work. The programme is being delivered by 27 community and voluntary groups from around the country, selected on foot of a competitive process. The projects being funded have been designed to assist young people in their transition from school to further education and employment. There are currently 1,175 active participants on the Ability Programme.
I trust the above clarifies the matter for the Deputy.