Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I too commend Deputy Cairns and the Social Democrats on tabling this motion.

The latest data we have from the survey on income and living conditions were published in May. While the Minister of State was quick to welcome the reductions nationally across the rates for the key social inclusion indicators, those same data alarmingly show increases across the board for people with longstanding health issues, as the Central Statistics Office, CSO, calls it. The figures relating to who is at risk of poverty are up to 39%. The deprivation rate is up to 39.6%. The rate of consistent poverty was up to 19.2%.

Almost one fifth of people in Ireland today with a disability live in consistent poverty in one of the richest countries on the globe. That is a shameful reality in this day and age. It is more shameful that the income supports on which these individuals rely are set well below the poverty line. As was mentioned already this morning, the low levels of employment are typically due to the simple fact that there is a real fear about losing those income supports and, in particular, losing the medical card

We got an insight into that last week when disabled artists and academics presented to us in the audiovisual room. They are afraid to display their talents and gifts for fear of losing their income supports. If they win money in prizes or bursaries, it impacts their disability allowance. All work and income from that work hugely impacts people when it comes to the disability allowance as regards holding on to the medical card, to give one example. If someone with a disability is offered more hours or a promotion at work, that person actually has to step back and think about whether he or she can take that promotion. People could be doing really well at work but must ask themselves whether they can take it because they will lose their additional supports. That is not a position into which anyone should ever be put.

The cost of disability in Ireland report is really important. It was published seven months ago and we still have not seen that implementation plan. Of course, this is not the first cost of disability plan to be published. Indecon published one 18 years ago. There was one published 36 years ago in 1986. This upcoming budget cannot leave out the cost of disability payment and a recognition of that. I welcome what was said about restructuring the long-term disability payments. Domiciliary care allowance needs to be included in that review.

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