Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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474. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the response by his Department to the findings of the Cost of Disability in Ireland research report; the plans that will be made in quarter one of 2022 in response to these findings; if he will implement an all-Department response that will be timescaled and measured to ensure everyday costs are reduced for persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63221/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Cost of Disability in Ireland report provides useful research to inform the ongoing development and implementation of policy in this area. The National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group, under the leadership of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and on which my Department is represented, will be the mechanism through which issues raised in the report are discussed and progressed.

The Cost of Disability in Ireland report has informed the preparation of the new joint National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027 which I launched on 14 January 2022, together with my colleagues Mr. Darragh O'Brien T.D. and Ms. Anne Rabbitte, T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for Disability. 

The new Strategy sets out the vision for the cooperation and collaboration of Government Departments, state agencies and others in delivering housing and the related supports for disabled people over the next five years. This new Strategy will operate within the framework of Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland which is committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing with an appropriate mix of housing design types provided within social housing, including universally designed units, is available to everyone in Irish society, including those with disabilities and older people. 

Preparation of an Implementation Plan for the Strategy will begin in the first quarter of 2022 with a target for completion by the second quarter. The Cost of Disability Report will also inform the preparation of the Plan, particularly Theme 3 of the Strategy which is concerned with affordability of housing for disabled people aligning with the affordability objective of Housing for All. 

In addition, Housing for All commits to a review of the range of housing grants available to assist with meeting specific housing needs, including the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, which will also be important in responding to the issues raised in the Cost of Disability in Ireland report. This review is underway in my Department.