Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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283. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he has evaluated the true at-risk-of-poverty rate for people with disabilities when accounting for the extra cost of disability; whether his Department will adjust poverty measurement tools or set new targets in light of this disparity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21963/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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284. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection whether he will reform the State’s equivalence scales or poverty metrics to formally include a “disability weight” reflecting the higher living costs associated with disability; and if he will outline any plans to adopt such adjustments. [21964/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 and 284 together.

This Government recognises the additional costs associated with having a disability and is committed to improving outcomes for disabled people. That is why we have priortised the development of a new National Disability Strategy; a cross-governmental strategy that will have a focus on improving access to services and bringing down these extra costs. In the Programme for Government, we have committed to introducing a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment.

My Department are currently examining the best way of delivering an annual cost-of-disability payment, as committed to in the Programme for Government, within the overall budgetary context.

Work has also commenced on the new Roadmap for Social Inclusion and the successor strategy to Pathways to Work for the period 2026-2030. This work will be informed by a public consultation process, engagement with the community and voluntary sectors, and an analysis of labour market research, trends, and international best practice. This approach will allow Government to identify areas of change and to develop goals that meet the needs of all groups in society.

Relevant research, including the recent ESRI report – ‘Adjusting estimates of poverty for the cost of disability’ will be given due consideration by my Department when conducting this work.

I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.