Kettle Boyle'd: Why is there no money for disability services?

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) states that every person has the right to live in society, and that nobody will be prevented from doing so by reason of having a disability. Ireland was the last country in Europe to ratify the convention, and our performance in respect of the convention has been equally lacklustre. We still have thousands of persons with disabilities in institutions, instead of supporting them to live normal lives.

Minister Humphries last week announced new welfare reforms, including financial supports for persons with disabilities, when she proposed a new pay-related jobseekers’ benefit system. For once, ‘pay-related’ benefits will mean just that, with payments related to levels of pay and the length of time the person spent in employment. Somebody with five years PRSI contributions will get a maximum of €450 per week for six months. The benefits will drop off over the following six months, to encourage people to take up other jobs.

While welcome, the proposals make no attempt to deal with the minority who make a conscious choice not to work at all. Many employers are unable to fill jobs at or just above minimum wage, but not because of a labour shortage. There are 85,000 people on long-term unemployment, some of whom have never worked. Apart from being bad for society, this is bad for that cohort; having a job is a step to getting a better job, and not working at all is bad for the person’s wellbeing. In other countries, benefits drop off and disappear altogether if you won’t work.

There are people who just don’t like getting out of bed every day. One acquaintance recently told me that a job would only pay him about €150 a week; he was just counting anything over and above his benefits as his potential earnings. It’s a common enough mind-set, and there is no pressure on him to earn the money he gets every week.

The 85,000 figure is only part of the picture. The numbers on disability payments in Ireland have doubled in a decade. In the UK, disability rates are lower, and people hiding behind a spurious disabled status are being weeded out and put back to work, but there are no such plans here.

I have been a campaigner for disability rights for much of my adult life, and it irks me to see the budget for disability going to able-bodied people when it should be used for its intended purpose. The current Minister is a strong voice for disability, but a significant amount of her potential funding is being misused.

It’s great that Heather Humphries is increasing payments for persons genuinely facing unemployment, but somebody needs to tackle the other side of the coin. Reforms in the UK have nudged many slackers out of Benefit Street and down the road to work. We need to do the same here.