Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the next step, I am happy to inform the Deputies and the House that the report has now been referred to the NDIS steering group, which I chair. This group will then consider what actions are needed. The NDIS steering group, which is meeting later this morning, will hear from the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and me as well as Indecon, which will make a presentation of its findings. When we talk about what makes up the NDIS, it is made up of disability stakeholder group, DSG, 5 but I have also invited the new members coming forward for DSG 6. They are not starting until January but I have invited them to sit in so I do not have to rerun the report again and we can hit the ground running. It also includes every other Department, and there is a junior or senior Minister. They all sit within it. There is a very good selection of people, Departments and representatives. The Independent Living Movement Ireland will be there today. There is the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies Providing Services to People with Intellectual Disability, FEDVOL, the Disability Federation of Ireland, DFI, other disabled people's organisations, DPOs, and myriad more to give a cross-section of people who are advocates and strong voices of representation there. On the other side will be the Departments that will take responsibility.

The fifth year iteration of the DSG finishes up this month and the sixth is taking its position from January. This will undoubtedly be the first piece of work the incoming group undertakes. Importantly, by utilising the NDIS steering group, I can ensure the key actors across Government and the wider public sector incorporate the findings of the cost of disability report into their work. That is what the job is. This report now becomes part of every Department to ensure they disability-proof their budgets. As part of it we will set out some of our action frameworks from all the Departments, so when we come back in March, we will have a plan and a pathway for how to action, implement and sculpt future policy.

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