Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
635. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if the workplace equipment adaptation grant can be obtained to hire an interpreter for a deaf employee; and if not, what supports, if any, are available. [40185/23]
View answerMy Department provides a wide range of supports for jobseekers and existing employees with disabilities. These supports include the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme.
It is important to note that these grants are demand led, i.e. the overall value of the grants issued each year rises or falls in response to the number and value of the grants applied for.
The Reasonable Accommodation Fund includes four grants which were designed to assist jobseekers and existing employees with disabilities, and to encourage employers in the private sector to recruit Jobseekers with disabilities:
The Workplace Equipment/Adaptation Grant cannot be used to hire an interpreter for a deaf employee as this is a grant towards the cost of adaptations to premises or equipment.
The Job Interview Interpreter Grant does provide funding for a sign language interpreter or other interpreter to attend interviews for a jobseeker who is deaf, hard of hearing or has speech impairment. The amount of the grant payable is based on an hourly fee paid which may vary. There is no limit to the number of interviews a person can attend with an interpreter.
My Department has recently published a review of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme. The review made a number of recommendations including that they be amalgamated into a single flexible scheme, that the number of interpreter hours eligible for funding would be increased and that the scheme would be opened up to other employers, for example the voluntary and community sector. Work on implementation of these recommendations is underway and it is hoped to launch a reformed scheme in Q1 2024.
