THE GOVERNMENT was yesterday accused of another Budget climbdown after it reversed a decision to stop paying disabled teenagers the disability allowance.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin said the Government had "reflected carefully" on the concerns expressed by families and representative groups since the changes to the disability allowance were announced two weeks ago.
"On the recommendation of the Minister, the Government has agreed that the existing arrangements, whereby disability allowance is paid to 16- and 17-year-olds will continue, pending the completion of a full review of the disability allowance scheme," Ms Hanafin said in a statement.
The announcement follows a decision by the Government to dramatically increase medical card income thresholds for the over-70s and to axe a 1 per cent income levy on those outside the tax net.
Opposition parties said yesterday's decision was yet another U-turn by the Government, while disability groups welcomed the reversal of the move.
Under plans to cut disability allowance, the monthly payment of €791.20 was to end for those aged 16 and 17, to be replaced by the domiciliary care allowance, worth €300 per month. It would have affected about 2,000 teenagers. The proposal would have saved the Government an estimated €6 million in 2009 and €17 million a year from 2010.
Ms Hanafin has met with several groups representing people with disabilities and disability service providers over the past week, including the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies, Inclusion Ireland, Down Syndrome Ireland, People with Disabilities in Ireland, the National Disability Authority and Rehab. Following the meetings, Ms Hanafin said she recommended to the Government that the disability allowance continue to be paid to 16- and 17-year-olds "pending a full review of the scheme". This is expected to take at least a year.
She said the key concern expressed by the groups related to the loss of expected income at short notice to families of young people with disabilities.
Ms Hanafin said the issue of whether it was inappropriate to pay a social welfare payment to a 16-year-old in his or her own right was not seriously contested.
Inclusion Ireland chief executive Deirdre Carroll said the move to cut the allowance without putting in place another support to offset the true cost of disability was "a retrograde step made in haste".
People with Disabilities Ireland also welcomed the move which, it said, would have severely affected families on low incomes. Rehab's Angela Kerins said it was important that disabled teenagers had access to training and employment measures to ensure they had the best possible start in their adult lives.
Fine Gael social and family affairs spokeswoman Olwyn Enright was more critical and said the measure should never have been introduced.
"Mary Hanafin continuously staunchly defended this decision and even tried to blame disability bodies for her poor choices. It is only right that this vicious cut has been reversed," she said.
Ms Enright said the changes to the disability allowance scheme would have saved the exchequer less than 0.1 per cent of the social welfare budget while depriving 2,000 families of €13,000.
Labour Party equality spokeswoman Kathleen Lynch welcomed the "climbdown" and congratulated the disability groups who campaigned against the changes.