Fianna Fáil TD for Louth, Deputy Erin McGreehan has hailed the reformed Wage Subsidy Scheme that was announced yesterday by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

The Wage Subsidy Scheme is designed to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities, and to facilitate the employment of people with disabilities.

There have been a number of amendments to the Scheme, including the extension to the community, voluntary and commercial state-sponsored sectors, reduction in the minimum weekly hours threshold from 21 to 15 hours, and employees on Partial Capacity Benefit may now be eligible for the scheme.

Deputy McGreehan expressed her delight on the amendments: “I am delighted to hear of the reform of the Wage Subsidy Scheme. This is something that I worked on in the Disability Matter committee and was very important to deliver.

“We want to make the workforce in our country more inclusive, and we seek between now and the next Budget to remove any barriers that are there prohibiting people with disabilities from accessing work.

She added: “As a government, we are committed to prioritising disability and making life better for those with a disability”.

In conclusion, McGreehan said this Scheme will be essential to closing the employment gap of people with disabilities.

“The employment gap for people with disabilities is too low in this country. Schemes such as the Wage Subsidy Scheme will help tackle that gap, and I have been a strong advocate on this issue as part of my work on the Disability Matters committee.

For further information, reach out to Erin McGreehan.

ENDS