Martin Daly on disability supports and work transition
Martin Daly spoke about care and supports for people with disabilities and their families, warning of a 'cliff edge' when older carers die and calling for more seamless planning and security. He urged changes including abolition of means tests, increased income disregard, consideration of a cost of disability payment, and stronger supports for transitioning into work without losing benefits.
He described the uncertainty faced by children and adults who rely on ageing carers, saying the current system can produce a cliff edge when a carer dies and residency and support become uncertain. He said planning must be seamless to avoid leaving families without continuity of care.
He outlined existing work on special education classes and special school place provision, and noted measures to increase the income disregard around the carers allowance. He reiterated a longer-term aim of getting to an abolishment of the means test and said the cost of disability payment should also be considered.
He stressed the need for flexible arrangements to help more people with disabilities move into work and out of poverty without losing benefits, and said supports around medical cards and other entitlements for those moving into employment exist but can be strengthened. He pointed to improvements in employer grants but called for greater certainty that people will retain health and other entitlements during and after transition.
He said the cost of disability will be examined in the next budget and that a working group has been established to look at related issues. While he judged the overall direction as right, he said a huge focus and further work are required to give long-term certainty and encourage safe transitions into work.
Main concerns
He described the uncertainty faced by children and adults who rely on ageing carers, saying the current system can produce a cliff edge when a carer dies and residency and support become uncertain. He said planning must be seamless to avoid leaving families without continuity of care.
Policy measures already underway
He outlined existing work on special education classes and special school place provision, and noted measures to increase the income disregard around the carers allowance. He reiterated a longer-term aim of getting to an abolishment of the means test and said the cost of disability payment should also be considered.
Transition supports and employment incentives
He stressed the need for flexible arrangements to help more people with disabilities move into work and out of poverty without losing benefits, and said supports around medical cards and other entitlements for those moving into employment exist but can be strengthened. He pointed to improvements in employer grants but called for greater certainty that people will retain health and other entitlements during and after transition.
Budget process and next steps
He said the cost of disability will be examined in the next budget and that a working group has been established to look at related issues. While he judged the overall direction as right, he said a huge focus and further work are required to give long-term certainty and encourage safe transitions into work.
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Transcript
thanks again following on what my colleagues deputies have already said the issue of the care of children who are our offspring of people who are getting older and have no certainty around what's going to happen when they're not here anymore and i think it's a major challenge within the community and it seems like a cliff edge you die you get a residency you you're here and that's not good enough there's got to be planning around that and it should be seamless in relation we've there's been a lot of work done around the provision of special ed classes special school place school place provision we've done stuff around the increasing the income disregard around social the cares allowance but getting to an abolishment of the means test but also i think we need to address flexible arrangements around getting more people who live with disability into work and out of poverty without losing their benefits and i think that cost of disability payment should be considered also so there's a lot of work to be done i do think the direction is right but we do need a huge focus on it and then the in terms of the income and the disregard the cost of disability uh the deputy daily and others again raised that um again we first of all the cost of disability will be looked at in the next budget and there's a working group established in relation to that but also the relationship between work and disability payment but there are some supports um there for transitioning if you like from disability from the social protection system into work in terms of medical card and on those but i think that can be strengthened um and and giving and that those moving into work can be great given given greater certainty more long-term certainly certainty that they will retain their benefits um or whatever entitlements they have as they go into work um now the there has been improvements on the employer grant and so on like that that that has improved but um there is further work to be done in terms of giving greater security around that transition and encouraging people to go into work without fear of losing um what what what their their health entitlements or the various other entitlements that they have