Departmental Schemes

Wednesday, 16 September 2026

Ceisteanna (778)

Liam Quaide

Ceist:

778. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time from the date of submission to a final decision for applications under the work and access scheme; the measures being taken to streamline the application workflow; the steps being taken to reduce any undue administrative or financial burdens placed on disabled applicants and employers during the application process; if a dedicated public awareness or informational campaign was rolled out (details supplied); the details and budget of any such campaign; and if none, the plans to initiate one. [65575/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

Work and Access is a suite of supports to help people with a disability get a job or stay in work. The supports aim to remove or reduce barriers in the workplace for people with a disability.

Details of processing times are not readily available as the supports are drawn down on demand by applicants or employers over a period of time.

In April this year my Department issued updated scheme Guidelines and introduced a centralised registration system to streamline the application process and operates a dedicated mailbox for all enquiries.

My Department has previously, and promoted the Work and Access Scheme through a dedicated information campaign which ran in late 2024 at a total cost of €352,000. This campaign ran across a range of channels including radio, press, social media, digital audio and video on demand. The campaign performed well across channels and was effective at raising awareness of the scheme.

There are currently plans to re-run the social media element of this campaign later this year, which coincides with both Work and Skills Week as well as the Disability Work and Skills Week in October. This is an area that is important to me, and I feel is important to raise awareness of to make employment more accessible to disabled people.