Social Welfare Benefits
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-15
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Ruairí Ó Murchú (SF), Louth

We all accept there is a need for a cost-of-disability payment. That goes without saying. We also need to ensure we facilitate as many people into employment as possible. The Minister has accepted there is underemployment within the State of those with disabilities. He quibbled some of the figures that are out there. If the Minister could come back on that, it would be useful. I have spoken many times with him before in relation to the wage subsidy scheme, WSS, and the drop in the number of those who are employed by it over the past number of years and the employers taking it up. It has been reviewed but I do not think a proper job has been done in relation to what needs to be delivered. The Minister has corresponded with me in relation to what has been brought to me from the likes of the Rehab Group, Mr PRICE and others who employ a number of those with disabilities. They believe the WSS is not up to scratch at the minute. We need to see greater employability and workability. We also need to see reasonable accommodation funding, as in work and access. It needs to be fit for purpose. At this point in time, it is not in relation to those who need assistive technologies or the employer or whoever has to go through the administrative burden. It is too much at the moment.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-15