Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party) | Oireachtas source

I met members of the Irish Wheelchair Association outside the gates of Leinster House yesterday. Listening to them describe their experiences of trying to live a normal life in our country was truly heartbreaking. Wheelchair users face daily challenges in our cities and towns, in particular when dealing with public transport. It is a disgrace in this day and age that public transport is still so inaccessible and insufficient. This is particularly the case in rural Ireland, especially in Donegal where many wheelchair users are left isolated in their own homes due to a lack of accessible transport. It makes it impossible to work, socialise or be independent in any type of way. On top of this, 92% of the IWA's members said they incurred additional costs related to their disabilities. Will the Taoiseach consider rolling out a travel assistance scheme nationally that responds to the needs of people with disabilities in their own localities? Will he commit to introducing a cost-of-disability payment in budget 2026?

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