Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 March 2023
83. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employers that applied for the disability awareness support scheme in 2022; the number of employers who were successful and received this funding; if there are plans to promote the scheme among the business community in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14923/23]
View answerHow many employers applied for the disability awareness support scheme in 2022, how many were successful and received this funding, are there plans to promote the scheme among the business community, and will the Minister make a statement on the matter?
The development and provision of services and policies to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities operates through a cross-government framework with other Departments, agencies and, importantly, disability sector representatives. The disability awareness support scheme provides a contribution towards cost-of-disability awareness training for private sector employers. Funding of up to €20,000 is available, with 90% of the eligible training costs funded in the first year and 80% funded in subsequent years. The training to be delivered must provide clear and accurate information about disability, address questions that employers or employees may have and cover anti-discrimination and equal opportunities legislation.
The grant is demand led, so the number and value of the grants provided are linked to the number of applications received. In 2022, four employers applied for funding under the scheme, with three receiving funding. The total value of the grants issued in 2022 was €14,531.
It is clear that the low uptake of the grant needs to be examined. Under the comprehensive employment strategy, my Department has committed to undertake a review of the scheme. The aim of the review is to improve the effectiveness of the scheme. The work for this review is being scoped and it is expected that the review will commence later this year. In addition, my Department continues to promote the grant among employers and raise awareness of the supports available. In 2022, my Department held 668 employer events where supports promoted included the disability awareness support scheme. There are plans to build on this in 2023. The scheme is also promoted through contracted public employment service providers such as EmployAbility and by the Employers for Change service, which is funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and aims to deliver a national employer disability information service.
I thank the Minister for her reply. Employers are looking to this scheme to see how they can support people with disabilities. Has the Department considered people with disabilities who are returning to the workforce? I welcome the Minister's recent initiative on increasing the money that people can earn from work. Each week, our committee examines the available supports that encourage people with disabilities who want to return to the workforce for its therapeutic value and the sense of self-worth it provides as much as for anything else. Has the Department a view on how successful those supports are and, in light of its therapeutic value, mental health value and sense of self-worth, how we can get people back to work, even if only on a part-time basis, without their secondary benefits being stopped?
That may be outside the Minister's Department but she might comment on it.
As the Deputy said, when people commence employment they can avail of an income disregard of €165 per week. I increased it to that amount in budget 2023. In addition, 50% of earnings between €165 and €375 are also disregarded for the purpose of the means test. The partial capacity benefit allows people who are in receipt of invalidity pension or illness benefit to enter or return to employment or self-employment and continue to receive partial or full payment. Earlier, I spoke about the strawman proposal we are publishing on disability. As I said, it will be published in mid-May and we will get feedback. I will be happy for people to give their views on how we can improve it. At the moment we have a flat rate disability allowance payment of €220. Everyone gets the same payment regardless of the level of disability. Perhaps we need to look at targeting it more and at other changes. The strawman will be published and I will welcome the Deputy's views on it.
I look forward to the report. Many people will be trying to put forward views on the report when it is published. The Minister stated it will be published in May. Will there be a period thereafter when Members will have an opportunity, either at committee level or in the House, to discuss the report and put our views forward? Many Members will have views about how we should go forward and try to encourage employees into the workforce and employers, not only for employment purposes but also for a sense of self-worth.
We all want to bring about workplaces that are disability friendly. I welcome the fact that the Minister is talking about reviewing the disability awareness support scheme. Will she consider having a review of the workplace equipment adaptation grant? There has been a very low take-up of the grant. It can facilitate employers to get assistive technologies that may help those with disabilities. We dealt with the issue earlier at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Autism. We must facilitate third level institutions and people who are involved in support services for disabled people. Perhaps they could get it before the job interview. We must allow flexibility. We do not want employers to have to pay the money up-front, especially smaller employers who might not have all the resources a large employer would have. We have to look at engaging the Intreo workforce to engage with employers from the point of view of facilitating those with disabilities in the workplace.
The disability awareness training support scheme is the most under-used and misunderstood grant. Employers are often unaware of the grants and supports available from the Department of Social Protection. The scheme gives grant assistance of up to 90% of the cost of a disability awareness training programme. I welcome that the Minister will be running an awareness campaign. The lack of communication and information is critical. I also ask the Minister if she will send me the numbers for County Carlow.
I thank the Minister for having this scheme and I compliment her on it. I do not expect her to have the answer to my question tonight but she might ask her Department for one. State agencies and local authorities are all supposed to hire a quota of people with disabilities, to give them an opportunity in life to be able to get a job. I wonder whether some of the local authorities, State agencies or Government Departments are taking that role seriously. It is important to give people with a disability opportunities because they have a disability. They are intelligent, bright and well capable of doing work or doing a job if they get the opportunity. Will the Minister get her Department to talk to other Departments, State agencies and local authorities to ensure each of them is taking in the quota the Government has recommended over the years? The Minister has worked hard over the years. Her heart is in the right place. She has certainly helped and supported people with disabilities in her targeted approach in budgets. She has done a superb job and I thank her for that.
I take on board what the Deputy says about the need to advertise the reasonable accommodation fund more. It is available. I put an additional €1 million into it. It means employers can get support for specialised equipment to refurbish offices to make them accessible for people with disabilities. The Deputy is also correct that we also need to ensure people are aware of the disability awareness support scheme. A report on the reasonable accommodation fund is due to be published in quarter 2 of 2023. We have done a review of the fund and we will look at how we can make it better and make people more aware of it.
I take Deputy Ring's point about the number of people with disabilities who are employed. I do not know if we have that figure, but I will try to get it for the Deputy. I am happy to talk to the local authorities. I will send the figures for Carlow to Deputy Murnane O'Connor.
I am happy to engage with people because I do not want people with disabilities to encounter barriers to work. I want to break down those barriers. A number of different approaches are needed. I want to do it.
