Following a strong campaign by disability activists over proposed changes to disability allowance payments, the Government in April scrapped its Green Paper on Disability Reform. From a disability activist perspective, events have since moved onto a more positive footing.

In late 2023, it proposed introducing a three-tiered payments system, which activists described as “discriminatory”.

The Personal Support Payment (PSP) was to have three tiers, or levels:
• Level 1: High support – Very low capacity to work.
• Level 2: Medium support – Low to moderate capacity to work.
• Level 3: Low support – Moderate to high capacity to work.

Persons on Tier 1 were to receive an increased payment, equivalent to the current State pension rate (€277.30 per week). Those on Tier 3 would receive the current Disability Allowance rate (€232.00) while those on Tier 2 were to receive an intermediary rate.

People on Tier 3 were to engage with the PES and take up reasonable offers of places in training and employment programmes, and employment opportunities appropriate to their capacity and circumstances. This proved to be the most controversial aspect of the proposals.

A spokesperson for Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI) said the tiered payments proposal “does not take into account how few accessible jobs there are currently for disabled people” and it ignored structural barriers.

The ILMI said that disabled people were “extremely unhappy” with how the Green Paper was developed and were upset that disabled people’s organisations were not consulted.

The Society of St Vincent De Paul said it had “grave concerns around the proposals”.

In withdrawing the Green Paper, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphries, said, “As a Government, we now need to have a fresh look at how we can best support people with disabilities.”

Cabinet focus on disability

From a disability activist perspective, events have since moved onto a more positive footing. On being appointed Taoiseach, Simon Harris established a cabinet committee on children, education and disability “to break down silos and make change more quickly”. He spoke on his first day in office of “empowering people with disabilities”.

“We are determined to bring new coherence and faster progress on solving the issues that matter most to people with disabilities,” he said.

Among the advocacy groups seeking to be heard is Clare Leader Forum which calls on the Government to repeal the Disability Act introduced two decades ago. It says the Act “caused the waiting list and negated our rights. Repeal the Disability Act and give us our rights.”