Dan Neville
Ceist:341 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children when the report of the Working Group on Feasibility of Introducing a Cost of Disability Payment will be published. [21399/02]
Written Answers. - Disability Payment.
The Working Group on Feasibility of Introducing a Cost of Disability Payment is currently operating under the aegis of the Department of Health and Children.
In order to come to conclusions on the feasibility of introducing such a payment the working group has agreed with the National Disability Authority the research projects that need to be undertaken, inter alia: identifying cost of disability elements of the current Irish statutory system of invalidity and disability payments; examination of added costs of living expenses incurred by people with disabilities; trans-national experience and independent needs assessment methods.
The working group is also undertaking examinations of existing benefits and allowances with a view to amending them or augmenting them to provide for a cost of disability payment, of the tax code to see if it could provide for a cost of disability payment and the feasibility of introducing a new cost of disability cash payment.
The working group has commenced an examination of the operation of the disability living allowance that operates in Britain and Northern Ireland with the assistance of the Department of Social Development in Northern Ireland.
The working group is unlikely to report before the summer of 2003.