Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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445. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she intends to increase the levels of disability payments and allowances to reflect the very different costs of disability by severity and type of disability as outlined in 'The Cost of Disability in Ireland' report which was published by her Department last year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22455/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Indecon report highlighted that the ‘Cost of Disability’ is significantly wider than the income support system and found that there is not a single typical ‘cost of disability’; rather there is a spectrum from low additional costs to extremely high extra costs of disability, depending on the individual circumstances of the person concerned.

Additional costs of disability identified run across a number of areas of expenditure including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, mobility, transport and communications, medicines, care and assistance services and additional living expenses.

As the findings of the research have implications for many areas of public policy, a whole-of-Government perspective is needed. As such the Government referred the report on the Cost of Disability to the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group. This group was chaired by my colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte TD. The group included relevant departments, agencies, and a Disability Stakeholder Group. The work of the group was due to end in 2021 but was extended to the end of 2022. A new national cross-Government strategy to succeed the National Disability Inclusion Strategy is being developed - this work is being led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Inclusion and Youth. The Cost of Disability report is an important element of the evidence base which will inform the scope and focus of the strategy.

From the perspective of my department, I introduced a number of measures as part of Budget 2023 to support disabled people to mitigate the impacts of the rising cost of living. These were a combination of once-off payments and increases to the rate of weekly income support payments and income thresholds.

In October and November those on long-term disability payments received a once-off double payment and a €500 cost of living Disability Support Grant payment.

People in receipt of the Fuel Allowance benefited from a €400 lump sum payment, with €200 paid to those in receipt of the Living Alone Allowance.

The Christmas Bonus was paid to 1.3 million social welfare recipients, including those on long-term disability payments.

Last month those on long-term disability payments received an additional €200 lump sum.

As well as once-off cost of living measures, I also secured increases to weekly payments and income disregards which took effect in January 2023. I increased the maximum rate of disability payments by €12 a week – the largest increase in recent years.

To make secondary benefits more accessible, the means threshold for Fuel Allowance increased from €120 to €200, and Disablement Benefit is now not considered as means for Fuel Allowance applicants.

I also increased the earnings threshold for people on Disability Allowance and Blind Pension by €25 a week from €140 to €165. This means that people can earn more and keep more of their social welfare payment.

Any further changes to the payments and schemes provided by my department aimed at supporting people with disabilities will be made in an overall policy and budgetary context.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.