Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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764. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what steps are being taken to formally recognise the cost of disability in Government policy; and whether she will lead on developing a published Government action plan listing reforms to address extra living costs for disabled individuals. [25631/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Government recognises the extra living costs experienced by people with disabilities and the ways in which these costs can negatively impact the lives of disabled people and their families, often leading to an increased risk of poverty and financial insecurity.

The Cost of Disability in Ireland report (2021), commissioned by the Minister for Social Protection and prepared by Indecon International Research Economists,provides important evidence of the additional costs that people with a disability face in their daily lives.

The Programme for Government commits to addressing the cost of disability. While measures and initiatives aimed at poverty reduction and social protection are the primary responsibility of the Department of Social Protection, reducing the cost of disability is a cross-cutting objective that affects different policy areas, therefore requiring a whole-of-government response.

My Department is leading on the development of the next National Disability Strategy which will operate as a plan for the coordination of disability policy across government, and collaboration on cross-cutting issues, such as the cost of disability.

The next National Disability Strategy will adopt a whole-of government approach to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). As a means of improving the standard of living of disabled people, increasing the provision of supports in relation to education, further education, training and employment, healthcare and housing will be important features of the Strategy.

Following a comprehensive public consultation process, ongoing engagement with a range of disability stakeholders and extensive cross-government collaboration, the Strategy is now at an advanced stage of development and publication is expected in the coming months.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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765. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will commission or support ongoing research and data collection on disability and poverty; and whether she will ensure that such evidence informs policy by reporting regularly to the Oireachtas on indicators like the disability poverty gap. [25632/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for this question and would emphasise my Department's continued commitment to building out the research and evidence base to support policy development.

Responsibility for the collection of data in relation to poverty falls principally to the remit of the Minister for Social Protection, under the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025. The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is Ireland’s national strategy to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion. Under the Roadmap there is a commitment to reduce the at risk of poverty and social exclusion rate for people with disabilities to 28.7% by 2025 and then to 22.7% by 2030. The latest 2024 EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions data show that the at risk of poverty and social exclusion rate for people with disabilities is 30.1%, down from 32.7% in 2023.

My Department is leading on the development of the next National Disability Strategy which will serve as a framework for ambitious, integrated action on disability policy and will target a more cohesive approach to disability data and research, and subsequent policy development. We are focused on developing a more coordinated and strategic approach to data collection and research to support evidence based policy making and deliver better outcomes for disabled people.