Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
752. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the reasoning behind the proposal to raise the age of access to the disability allowance from 16 to 18 years of age in her Department’s green paper on disability allowance; to detail the research that went into the basis for this proposal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48209/23]
View answerThe Government committed as part of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion to develop and consult on proposals to restructure long-term disability payments and to simplify the system.
One of the Green Paper’s proposals is to raise the qualifying age for Disability Allowance to 18 to create a common tiered approach to disability payments.
The age of entry for Disability Allowance has been 16 since its introduction in 1996. This age criterion followed from the scheme that preceded Disability Allowance, the Disabled People’s Maintenance Allowance. When introduced in the 1950s, this allowance sought to accommodate the many disabled people who left the education system at that age. The Green Paper proposes to raise the age of entry to recognise that education for many people with disabilities now continues to age 18 and over.
The proposal would also bring Disability Allowance’s age criterion in line with the rest of the social welfare system, as all other working age payments become payable at age 18.
In line with this change, the Green Paper proposes to extend Domiciliary Care Allowance to age 18. This recognises that young people aged 16 and 17 are still in the care of their parents or guardians.
Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16, who has a severe disability and requires care and attention substantially over and above that required by other children their age. It ceases to be payable when a child reaches 16 years of age. The young person can then apply for Disability Allowance if they meet the eligibility requirements.
I have increased the rate of payment of Domiciliary Care Allowance in successive Budgets.
The reconfiguration of Disability Allowance and Domiciliary Care Allowance has been highlighted in a wide range of reports going as far back as the Report of the Commission on Social Welfare in1986, and more recently, the May Work Pay report in 2017.
The proposals in the Green Paper are not final. They are a starting point for a structured discussion on the future of long-term disability payments.
It is essential that we hear from as many disabled people and representatives as possible on this matter. I encourage all those with an interest to express their views in our public consultation by attending one of our public consultation events in Dublin, Cork and Athlone this month or by making a submission by 15 December.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
