Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy. As he said, the programme for Government commits to introducing a permanent annual cost-of-disability support payment. We will introduce and incrementally increase this payment. These commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government, having regard to the policy and budgetary context.

In budget 2026, I provided for a €1.15 billion package of new social protection measures. We were clear from early this year that there would be no one-off measures in this budget. Not everything, however, in terms of our programme for Government commitments will be done in the first budget. The budget package contained significant targeted measures to support disabled people. These measures include: a €10 increase in the weekly rates of payment, bringing the personal rates of payment to €254 per week from January; a Christmas bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment, to be paid in December 2025; a €20 increase in the rate of domiciliary care allowance, bringing the rate to €380 per month; and a €5 increase in the fuel allowance, bringing it to €38 per week. Those moving from disability allowance or the blind pension to take up work will now be able to retain their fuel allowance payment for five years. The back to work family dividend is also being extended to this group, where they have children.

From January, we are extending the wage subsidy scheme to people who acquire a disability while in employment and increasing the rates paid from April. As I said, we are increasing the earnings disregard for carer’s allowance by record levels. Across the disability allowance, invalidity pension, blind pension and domiciliary care allowance, over €250 million in additional funding has been made available when comparing the Revised Estimates for these schemes between 2025 and 2026. In addition, the recently published National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 takes a whole-of-government approach and includes a commitment to establish a strategic focus network on the cost of disability, led by my Department. My officials have already held meetings with a number of organisations to discuss the possible structure and content of this network. I will be meeting those organisations during December and I have asked my officials to ensure that I will have a proposal to bring to Government next year in relation to the cost of disability payment ahead of the budget process.

See this speech in context