Parliamentary questions

Housing Policy

Pauline Tully

792. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in line with Action 109 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report (details supplied) if he has plans to recruit a designated Disability Officer in every local authority to advise autistic people and their families on accessing supports and assist them to complete the application process, where needed; and the estimated first and full year cost respectively of implementing this proposal. [57348/23]

Departmental Data

Pauline Tully

865. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 544 of 14 July 2022, the number of persons currently in receipt of a disability-related social protection payment, by the type of payment, in tabular form. [56599/23]

Departmental Data

Pauline Tully

874. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people on disability allowance and invalidity pension who to date in 2023 have lost their entitlement to these payments entirely or have had them reduced following a change in circumstance where they now reside with a partner initiating a review of their income, in tabular form. [56668/23]

Employment Schemes

Pauline Tully

914. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection in line with Action 80 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, if she has plans to establish a State-run public employment service that builds on the good practice in the field of disability employment and which links autistic people to employers and offers support, guidance and information as well as tailored support services for participating employers; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57269/23]

Employment Schemes

Pauline Tully

915. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 81 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to engage with stakeholders including the autistic community and employers and review the wage subsidy scheme and reasonable accommodation fund with a view to promoting uptake of the schemes; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57270/23]

Employment Schemes

Pauline Tully

916. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 82 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to promote the availability and potential benefits of schemes such as the wage subsidy scheme and reasonable accommodation fund to employers; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57271/23]

Employment Schemes

Pauline Tully

917. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 83 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to amalgamate and streamline workplace support grants and the reasonable accommodation fund under one fund which employers may draw down for the purposes of accommodating an autistic or disabled employee or prospective employee; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57272/23]

Employment Schemes

Pauline Tully

918. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 84 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to initiate a review of the wage subsidy scheme through a rights-based, social lens and identify how best to update or replace the scheme; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57273/23]

Departmental Schemes

Pauline Tully

919. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 85 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to remove the minimum work hours to access the wage subsidy scheme to allow for people with disabilities to access part-time employment; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57274/23]

Departmental Policies

Pauline Tully

920. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 62 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to introduce a non-means tested, targeted cost-of-disability payment for autistic people and disabled people with high levels of expenditure due to their autism diagnosis or disability; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57309/23]

Departmental Policies

Pauline Tully

921. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 63 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to introduce a non-means tested, targeted cost-of-disability payment for the carers to autistic people and disabled people with high levels of expenditure due to their autism diagnosis or disability; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57310/23]

Departmental Policies

Pauline Tully

922. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 64 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to introduce specific targeted supports for those with the highest additional costs due to disability, including autism; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57311/23]

Departmental Policies

Pauline Tully

923. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 65 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to increase the income disregard for disability allowance and carer’s allowance to account for the high costs of disability; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57312/23]

Departmental Policies

Pauline Tully

924. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 66 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to recognise the work of carers and the services they provide the State by establishing a pilot scheme for a basic income entitlement or a participation income to replace the carer’s allowance, in line with the recommendations of an organisation (details supplied) and the Joint Committee on Gender Equality; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57313/23]

Departmental Policies

Pauline Tully

925. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 67 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to establish a grant to assist autistic people and disabled people in paying for larger, one-off expenses; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57314/23]

Departmental Policies

Pauline Tully

926. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 68 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to benchmark the rate of disability allowance and other social protection payments to ensure that autistic recipients can achieve a minimum essential standard of living; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57315/23]

Departmental Consultations

Pauline Tully

927. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 69 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to undertake consultation with the autistic community on the accessibility of information regarding supports and services provided by her Department and ensure that there is no reduction in supports when those in receipt of disability allowance reach State pension age; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57316/23]

Departmental Reviews

Pauline Tully

928. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 70 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to undertake a review of the accessibility and user-friendliness of all application forms for disability supports with the autistic community; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57317/23]

Departmental Reviews

Pauline Tully

929. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 71 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to initiate a review of application processes and their transparency to minimise the rate of rejection of applications for disability supports and care supports; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57318/23]

Departmental Policies

Pauline Tully

930. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in line with Action 72 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to allow those who were previously in receipt of disability allowance and have subsequently entered employment to retain their entitlement to a medical card and free travel pass, subject to certain limitations; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57319/23]