Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Cairns and the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion. When we refer to the cost of disability, what are we talking about? We are talking about the extra costs that a person with a disability incurs in their day-to-day lives simply because they have a disability. There is something deeply unfair about that because having a disability in the first place is often a massive extra challenge for that person. In addition, they face extra financial costs. In most cases these are costs that they cannot afford. As I said, there is just something deeply unfair about that.

In the Indecon report on the cost of disability to which many previous speakers referred, an important point is made about the participation of people with disabilities in the labour market. The level of such participation is one of the lowest in Europe. Therefore, we have a double-edged sword because of the extra costs that people incur on foot of their disabilities. Due to the fact that the vast majority of them are not able to access employment, they cannot cover those extra costs. While it is not mentioned in this motion and while it is a separate issue, the fact that the number of people with disabilities in Ireland participating in the labour market is among the lowest in Europe is an extremely important issue. Not having access to work denies people the chance to be independent.

Because of the situation we are in, the State has to step in. It must represent society and the common good and provide the extra assistance that is asked for in this motion. I fully support the call for a disability payment of at least €20 per week in budget 2023 and for an increase in the disability allowance of at least €15 per week. Those are short-term measures that can be brought in when we get to September. Longer-term measures are outlined in the motion, which calls on the Government to look at the Cost of Disability in Ireland report and ensure that will inform policy decisions in the future, particularly as it is based on good information. The Indecon report tells us that households where a member has a disability spend an average of an additional €9,000 per year.

I was privileged to launch a report on the cost of disability with Family Carers Ireland and the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice a few months ago in the audiovisual room. The report looked at the minimum essential standard of living for a two-parent household caring for an adolescent child who had a profound intellectual disability. It found that the extra cost - and this was detailed work - was approximately €12,000 per annum. As Deputy Connolly stated, extra costs vary across different types of disability. If people look at the Indecon report and its granular detail, they will see that families spend a higher proportion of their incomes on food, clothing, fuel, light, transport and household goods. We all know that the price of food, fuel, electricity and transport have significantly increased in the past 12 months. Households that have a member who has a disability are being hit harder by inflation and cost-of-living increases. That is just another reason why I fully support the motion tabled by Deputy Cairns.

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