John Paul O'Shea
Question:96. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to increase the wage subsidy scheme rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50854/25]
View answerWednesday, 24 September 2025
Questions (96)
Written answers
The Wage Subsidy Scheme is a key disability employment support provided by my Department. It aims to encourage employers to offer substantial and sustainable employment to disabled people through a subsidy.
As part of Budget 2022, my Department increased the base subsidy rate from €5.30 to €6.30 per hour. This gives a total annual subsidy available of €12,776 based on a 39-hour week. The maximum subsidy rate under Strand 2 is €9.45 per hour, giving a total subsidy of €19,164.60 per year.
An employer receives this increase in the subsidy rate if they hire more employees on the Wage Subsidy Scheme. An employer who employs 25 or more employees on the Wage Subsidy Scheme may receive a grant of €30,000 towards the cost of employing an Employment Assistance Officer.
Last year, my Department published a review of the Wage Subsidy Scheme following a public consultation. The review made six recommendations, including to reduce the minimum required hours of the scheme, to expand the scheme to the charity and voluntary sector and to remove terms such as ‘productivity deficit’ from the scheme to better align the scheme with the social model of disability. An additional €3.7 million has been allocated to implement the review’s recommendations.
The review also recommended that the rate of the subsidy be examined. Under both the recently published National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 and the Programme for Government, the Government has committed to review the minimum hours requirement under the Wage Subsidy Scheme and to examine an increase to the payment rate.
These commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government in the context of the annual budget process and in light of the resources available.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.