Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 October 2023
106. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection when she anticipates that poverty among people with disabilities in this country will be ended; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46430/23]
View answerThe consistent poverty rate for people who were unable to work due to long standing health issues was 19.7% in 2022, whereas the national average in 2022 was 5.3%. While these figures are consistently higher for disabled people than for other cohorts, it must be noted that the 2022 SILC data is based on income from the 2021 calendar year and does not therefore take account of the many improvements in social welfare payments over the last three budgets.
My Department provides a number of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. These include insurance-based schemes, based on Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions, and means tested social assistance schemes.
I have introduced many improvements across these schemes in my time as Minister for Social Protection. The personal rates increased by €17 per week over the last 2 budgets with proportionate increases for qualified adults. In addition, the income disregards which can be availed of by people receiving Disability Allowance or Blind Pension, have increased by almost 37% over the last three budgets to a current level of €165.
As part of Budget 2024, the Social Protection budget, which is the largest in the history of the State, will assist families and vulnerable citizens through a mix of lump sum supports and increases to weekly payments.
As part of Budget 2024 I will provide the following supports for people with disabilities:
• €400 cost of living lump sum will be paid to people getting a Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension and Blind Pension
• €300 cost of living lump sum for those getting the Fuel Allowance, to be paid in November 2023
• €200 cost of living lump sum to people who are getting a Living Alone Increase
• Christmas Bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment
• from January 2024 there will be an increase of €12 in maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments. There will be proportionate increases for people getting a reduced rate
• January cost of living bonus for people getting a weekly social welfare payment, to be paid in January 2024
• provision for Free Travel Scheme for those medically certified unfit to drive
• reduction in the minimum weekly hours threshold from 21 to 15 hours for employers to avail of the Wage Subsidy Scheme.
However, there is still a need to reform our system of disability payments. In September, I published the Green Paper on Disability Reform to begin the conversation about improving these supports and further addressing the cost of disability.
The aim of the Green Paper is two-fold. Firstly it aims to encourage a higher level of employment for people with disabilities, which will improve their outcomes; and secondly to better insulate disabled people who cannot work from poverty and deprivation.
The tiered proposal in the Green Paper takes into consideration the recommendations of the Cost of Disability report, which found that income supports should be differentiated by need and that government policy should facilitate employment among those who can and wish to work.
Nobody will lose their payment or have their payment reduced. The objective is to increase people’s payments and provide more employment supports for those who can and want to work.
I would like to emphasise that the Green Paper is not a final design. It is only a starting point for a structured discussion on what the future of long-term disability payments could look like. It offers one possible approach on how to target limited resources - its proposals are intended to invite discussion, debate and suggestions.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
