Employment Schemes
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-19
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Ruairí Ó Murchú (SF), Louth

Many of us have spoken in here about the low level of employment among those with disabilities. I get that, to a large degree and particularly with some of the schemes, this falls into the ambit of the Minister for Social Protection. However, a holistic approach is needed. While we have seen decent work and decent schemes such as WorkAbility, EmployAbility and the work of the Trinity centre and others in engaging with employers, I do not think these are sufficient. It is too ad hoc . We need to see a greater level of engagement.
With regard to the wage subsidy scheme, a number of employers, particularly those who employ more than one person with disabilities or a considerable number of them, say the scheme does not take sufficient account of the added costs of doing so. The reasonable accommodation funding provided through the work and access programme is also not fit for purpose. All of that needs to be looked at. Even with the wage subsidy scheme, we probably need to look at the self-employed and entrepreneurs. All of that is necessary.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:40+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-19