As of October 2025, there are six companies availing of the Strand 3 grant. Between these companies, there are 11 Employment Assistance Officers in employment. From June 2019 until 2024, the expenditure on Strand 3 payments was €1,303,850.
The grant is €30,000 per officer and companies can employ a maximum of five. This means a company could be availing of the top rate and be receiving an additional €150,000 to help with the employee’s needs.
The Wage Subsidy Scheme, after a pilot, became permanent in 2008. The grant was €30,000 but previously only payable to a company employing 30 or more employees on the scheme. The number of employees required to be on a Strand 3 payment was reduced to 25 in 2020, allowing more employers to avail of the grant.
The scheme also underwent a review in 2023. The review made six recommendations including to reduce the minimum required hours of the scheme, to expand the scheme to the community, voluntary and semi-state commercial sector and to remove terms such as 'productivity deficit' to better align the scheme with the social model of disability. An additional €3.7 million was allocated to implement the review's recommendations and this has been achieved.
Any further changes to the scheme, including the grant under Strand 3, will fall to be considered in a wider policy and budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
