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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 13 Oct 1999

Vol. 509 No. 2

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Code.

Jan O'Sullivan

Ceist:

122 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if the Government will honour its pledge to introduce a non-means tested allowance for disabled people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20027/99]

The Government is committed to overhauling the means by which the State supports the incomes of people with disabilities and to implementing the report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities – CSPD.

In this regard the CSPD recommended that the rates of payment advocated by the Commission on Social Welfare – CSW – should be achieved as a matter of priority. As a result of Government action, all social welfare payments are now above the target rate with the rates payable to people with disabilities ranging between 102 per cent and 124 per cent of that rate.

The CSPD also identified a number of shortcomings in the system of income support for people with disabilities.

A number of the commission's principal criticisms related to the operation of the former disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme. The take-over of the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme, re-named disability allowance, by the Department in October, 1996 now means that many of these difficulties have been addressed and resolved.
The improved administration, together with the various improvements which have been introduced in the scheme since its take-over, have led to a significant increase in the numbers receiving payment – up by over 15,000, 44 per cent, from 34,500 in October, 1996 to 49,524 in September 1999.
Other concerns expressed by the commission related to the disincentives to participate in education, training or work because of the lack of flexibility of the income support system and the withdrawal of allowances when people spend time in hospital or go into residential care.
A significant amount of progress has been made by the Department in recent years in relation to these areas. For instance the back-to-work allowance and back to education programme have been extended to people with disabilities; the amount a person can earn from rehabilitative employment without affecting their entitlement to disability allowance and blind person's pension has been increased to £50 per week; disability allowance continues to be paid for up to 13 weeks where the recipient goes into hospital; disability allowance is paid at half-rate to those in part-time residential care, while from August this year, existing recipients of disability allowance are able to retain the allowance where they go into hospital or residential care.
While many improvements have been introduced for people with disabilities in recent years, it is nevertheless recognised that more needs to be done. The potential for further enhancements to the system will continue to be examined in the light of the commitments in An Action Programme for the Millennium and the recommendations contained in the CSPD report and having regard to the available resources.
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