Cuts to disability supports cold and callous, says Martin

TARGETING INCOME supports for disabled people between the ages of 16 and 24 years was “calculatingly callous and cold”, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said.

He added that there would be a €111 reduction for those between 16 and 17 years; €88 for those between the ages of 18 and 21 and €44 in the case of those between 22 and 24 years.

“These are savage cuts in the incomes of young people with disabilities who, to a large extent, are excluded from many of the labour activation measures made by the Department of Social Protection,” he added.

Speaking during Opposition Leaders’ Questions, he said the programme for government contained a commitment that the quality of life of people with disabilities would be enhanced.

“How can it be enhanced by these savage cuts in incomes?” he asked. “This is a cruel and thoughtless move.”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the budget reform would not affect anybody aged between 16 and 24 years who are currently drawing a disability allowance.

It would only relate to new claimants.

Those aged 15 years and under who were on domiciliary care allowance would now continue to get the payment until they were 18.

“Deputy Martin will appreciate that, currently, a domiciliary allowance is paid to the parents of a child with a disability until the child is 16 years and the child then goes on disability allowance in his or her own right,” Mr Kenny added.

“Evidence and contact with parents show that they would prefer that this would remain as a domiciliary allowance until the child reaches the age of 18 years, and that is what is happening under the proposed reform.”

He said that when 15 year olds, for whom domiciliary allowances were being paid, reached the age of 18, they would be entitled to a disability allowance at the same rate as the jobseeker’s allowance.

“That measure will bring eligibility conditions for disability allowance into line with all other primary, weekly welfare payments which were payable at the age of 18 years only,” he added.

Mr Kenny said the measure was introduced in the 2009 budget, but was subsequently withdrawn on the basis that the issue would be revisited in the review of the disability allowance scheme which was then under way.

The review, he added, confirmed the view that payment of a full-rate payment at age 16 years was inappropriate and that measures should be introduced to change that.

He said that the Government and Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton now had two years to put in place a structure which would recognise that people with disabilities “should not be sidelined in some laneway in terms of society, as if they could not make a contribution”.