NCBI calls on Government to consider the cost of disability in Budget 2008
Release Date: Nov 2nd, 2007
NCBI, in its 2008 Pre-Budget submission, has called on the Government to improve the lives of people with sight loss in Ireland by ensuring that the extra costs associated with living with a disability are met by the appropriate funding and statutory payments.
The submission, which has been sent to all members of the Oireachtas, as well as the Minister for Finance and relevant Departments, contains nine key initiatives. These look at the current gaps in funding for NCBI's core services and in direct statutory payments to people with vision impairments.
Des Kenny, Chief Executive of NCBI stated that: "People with sight loss face considerable extra costs in overcoming the barriers that impede their independence and many continue to either struggle to bear these costs themselves or to simply do without. We are asking the Government to take into account the cost of living with a disability and to ensure that the 2008 Budget offers meaningful financial support to people who are blind or vision impaired.”
NCBI provides services to more than 12,000 people with vision impairments on behalf of the State but the organisation is currently operating with a significant annual funding deficit for the provision of core services on behalf of the Health Service Executive (HSE).
“The number of people using our services is increasing steadily every year but the funding we receive from the HSE does not rise accordingly. In order to accommodate the growing number of people with significant sight problems, it is essential that funding for our core services be increased annually to properly reflect the rising costs of providing services to a growing service user base,” continued Mr Kenny.
Other initiatives included in the submission include:
- An extension to the rules for eligibility for the Mobility Allowance.
- People in receipt of Blind Welfare Allowance should not be precluded from receiving Mobility Allowance.
- Introduction of an escalator so that the Blind Persons Pension and Blind Welfare Allowance are increased in line with inflation annually.
- Disabled drivers and passengers schemes to include people registered as blind.
- An increase in disregarded means for the Blind Person’s Pension from €20,000 to €50,000.
- Telephone Allowance Scheme be increased from €24.70 per month to €50 per month. The scheme should be extended to every individual registered as blind and no longer limited to one person per household.
- An increase in the earnings disregarded from weekly means for a person returning to rehabilitative work from €120 per week to €200 per week to reflect increases in the national minimum wage and to encourage people to return to work.
Click here to read the submission in full or contact NCBI for a copy on 1850 33 43 53.
ENDS
For further information contact Fionnuala Murphy on 01 8821975 or email fionnuala.murphy@ncbi.ie