Gibraltar Social Democrats has said it is pleased that the Government has re-thought its decision to withdraw Disability Allowance for disabled persons in employment and that they will now continue to receive 25% of that allowance.

 Opposition spokesman for Social Services Jaime Netto said: “It will be recalled that at the beginning of this new term of office, the new Minister for Employment, Joe Bossano, issued instructions to the Department of Social Security to withdraw the allowance

of those disabled persons in employment. This decision was highlighted the GSD in Parliament arguing that many of these disabled persons have a continued need to purchase medical or specialised equipment, or both; meaning a withdrawal of the allowance would impact negatively on their overall source of income. In some cases, disabled people under sheltered employment schemes, created by the GSD Government, would have been earning less than the net minimum wage being paid to sheltered employment scheme trainees, under the Future Job Strategy of this Government.”

A GSD spokesman continued: “It is because of Mr. Netto’s intervention that the Government has withdrawn its initial decision and is now to implement 25% of the allowance back to disabled persons in employment. Mr Netto said: “The Opposition, however, maintains that a blanket decision in the application of this policy is not the correct way forward. We would have ensured that disabled persons are adequately assessed, individually, to ensure that their medical needs are not diminished as a result of obtaining employment, especially when such employment is not of a permanent nature or of a low income base.”