Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 June 2018
201. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the budget for the reasonable accommodation fund; and the spend and the underspend in the fund in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018. [25834/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe reasonable accommodation fund assists employers to take appropriate measures to enable a person with a disability/impairment to have access to employment by providing a range of grants. These grants and supports include the workplace equipment adaptation grant, the personal reader grant, the job interview interpreter grant and the employee retention grant.
The purpose of the scheme is to assist unemployed people with disabilities to gain access to the open labour market by providing grants for “reasonable accommodations” in the private sector and to support private sector employers in the employment of people with disabilities.
The reasonable accommodation fund is a demand-led scheme in that expenditure arises in response to eligible so the question of an underspend does not apply. The actual expenditure on the components is set out in the following table:
Table: Expenditure on the Reasonable Accommodation Fund for People with Disabilities
|
Year |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 (May) |
|
Workplace equipment and adaptation grant |
€54,041 |
€69,254 |
€49,750 |
|
Personal reader grant |
€16,537 |
€31,619 |
€3,932 |
|
Job interview interpreter grant |
€7,244 |
€5,714 |
€1,327 |
|
Employee retention grant |
€0 |
€0 |
€0 |
|
Total |
€77,822 |
€106,587 |
€55,009 |
I hope this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
