Seán Crowe
Ceist:121 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the introduction of cost of disability payment scheme. [12782/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 5 May 2004
Ceisteanna (126)
Freagraí scríofa
The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness contains a commitment that "The Department of Health and Children, the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs and the Department of Finance will set up and participate in a Working Group which will consult with the social partners to examine the feasibility of introducing a Cost of Disability Payment."
Arising from this commitment, a working group was established comprising representatives from: Department of Health and Children, chair; Department of Social and Family Affairs; Department of Finance; Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform; National Disability Authority; and Eastern Regional Health Authority. The Agreed Programme for Government 2002 further states "we will complete the work of the group examining the introduction of a Cost of Disability Payment".
In undertaking its task, the working group sought to address a number of key questions. Do people with disabilities incur additional costs associated with having a disability? If so, is it possible to measure the additional costs of disability? Do these additional costs vary according to the type of disability, severity of disability, etc.? What State supports are available towards these costs? To what extent are costs of disability catered-not catered for? To what extent do the current supports act as a barrier to moving from welfare dependency into employment?
The working group noted that no international consensus existed on how best to calculate the additional costs of disability or, indeed, on what constitutes a cost of disability. While a number of previous reports and submissions have highlighted that there are additional costs associated with having a disability, the working group found that there had been no significant research or analysis undertaken in Ireland to substantiate these contentions or to try and measure these costs.
In the circumstances, the working group requested the National Disability Authority to commission research, as part of its research remit, with a view to assisting the group in answering these questions. The work was undertaken by an independent consultant and a final report was presented to the working group at the beginning of March. The position paper of the working group and the report of the consultant has been forwarded to the Department of the Taoiseach.
The working group has arrived at the following position. The working group understands the term" additional costs of disability" to mean the extra costs incurred by people with disabilities that are directly related to their disability and that are over and above the ordinary living costs that are incurred by the population generally. Notwithstanding the limitations in the data available, the working group accepts the conclusions arising from the consultant's report that there are additional costs associated with having a disability in Ireland and that these costs can vary by disability type and by severity of disability. In addition, the working group considers that age and social circumstances can also have an impact on the costs of disability.
While the consultant's report contains useful research in terms of attempting to measure the additional costs of disability in Ireland, the working group nevertheless considers that, due to the data limitations, this research does not provide a robust basis on which the group can adequately assess the feasibility of a cost of disability payment. It is the view of the working group that a national system of individual needs assessment is a prerequisite for any cost of disability payment system based on severity of disability. No such system exists at present.
The working group noted that such a system has also been recommended by the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities. In considering the introduction of a cost of disability payment, the impact of the requisite needs assessment procedures on present administrative structures, together with the implications of such a payment for the continued operation of the current range of disability supports and benefits, would need careful consideration.
In view of the significant limitations in the available data and in the absence of a national system of individual needs assessment it has not been possible for the working group to make a determination on the feasibility or otherwise of an equitable and well targeted cost of disability payment. In line with the recommendations contained in the consultant's report and the report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, the working group considers that there are a number of existing supports which go some way towards meeting the additional costs of disability. The group considers that there is considerable scope for rationalising and streamlining these existing support measures, particularly in terms of mitigating the additional costs of disability for a greater number of people with disabilities and removing disincentives to move from welfare dependency to employment.