A Social Report for Ireland Volume II - the NESC Website

people with disabilities 261s A protocol has been agreed between the Departments of Health and Childrenand Social and Family Affairs to ensure that social welfare benefits do not createdisincentives to taking up employment – this includes retention of a medicalcard for 3 years on taking up employment.s The Department of Social and Family Affairs is also committed to developing adata strategy to address information gaps on disability.At least 235,000 people with disabilities are in receipt of a social welfare benefit, 176see Table 9.2. Some 71 per cent of these are in receipt of payments of c204.30 perweek, which is below the 2007 poverty line of c228.65. 177Table 9.2People with Disabilities in Receiptof Social Welfare PaymentsPayments Number of Recipients, 2008 Weekly Personal Rate, 2009Disability Allowance 90,500 204.30Illness Benefit 74,600 204.30Invalidity Pension 53,900 209.80 – 240.30Disablement Pension 13,000 235.40Blind Pension 1,500 204.30Occupational Injury Benefit 1,400 204.30Total 234,900Source Department of Social and Family Affairs, Budget Fact Sheets 2008 & 2009.9.5.3 Commentary on Economic Well-beingCurrently many people with disabilities rely on social welfare for their income.People with disabilities have a high risk of poverty. For those who have to rely onincome support, social welfare payments need to be adequate to prevent poverty.In addition, many people with disabilities face additional costs in day to day living,such as technical aids, adaptations and equipment, care assistance, medical bills,extra heating, special diet and higher transport costs. There is no explicit recognitionof these extra costs in the social welfare payment structure, although schemes andgrants are available to assist with some of these costs. There have been a number ofattempts to estimate the extra costs of disability but this has proved difficult giventhe diverse needs of the disabled population and there has been no agreement onhow they should addressed (Indecon, 2004). The commitment to consider issuesaround the costs of disability following the development of a needs assessmentsystem is welcomed, although it is recognised that implementation of this measuremay be difficult in short-term, given the constrained economic climate.The wide ranging policy commitments in the National Disability Strategy andTowards 2016 (as well as the National Development Plan and the National ActionPlan for Social Inclusion) are very positive but there remains a challenge in ensuring176. This is a minimum number who are on the main disability payments. There may be others who have a disability who may be onother payments such as the Pre-Retirement Allowance, State Pension, Widow/Widowers Pension, Job Seekers Payments, One ParentFamily Payment or Farm Assist.177. It is acknowledged that some of these benefit recipients may be in households with other sources of income, or may be in receipt ofsecondary benefits. The calculation of the poverty threshold includes SSIA income.