Paul Murphy
Question:92. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if an access-to-work scheme will be introduced for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50639/22]
View answerThursday, 13 October 2022
Questions (92)
Written answers
My Department provides a wide range of income and employment supports to assist jobseekers and employees with disabilities, and employers seeking to hire a person or support an existing employee with a disability.
One of these employment supports is the Reasonable Accommodation Fund. This fund aims to support the employment of disabled people in the open labour market by providing financial support for jobseekers and employees with disabilities and also for employers and the self-employed to help them make workplaces more accessible.
The Reasonable Accommodation Fund is comprised of four grants. The four grants are: the Workplace Equipment Adaptation Grant, the Personal Reader Grant, the Employee Retention Grant and the Job Interview Interpreter Grant. The Job Interview Interpreter grant provides funding to a person with hearing loss or speech impairment to hire an interpreter to accompany them to a job interview as well as induction training.
My Department is currently finalising a review of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund which will be published before the end of the year. The review is to see how to improve the effectiveness of the grants and to identify gaps in provision. It also aims to improve the application and payment processes. The review will be informed by the public consultation took place from 31st March to 13th May and a literature review which looks at similar schemes in other countries, including the UK’s Access to Work scheme.
In Budget 2023 I announced an additional €1 million in funding to expand the provisions made under the Reasonable Accommodation Fund grant and to support the recommendations from the forthcoming review.