Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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101. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide an update on the implementation of the Government’s commitment to establish a permanent annual cost of disability support payment; to outline the eligibility and payment level that will be established; the number of recipients expected to be impacted in the coming year; the means by which his Department will progress the phasing-out of the means test for carer’s allowance as pledged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61983/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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In the Programme for Government we have committed to introducing a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment with a view to incrementally increasing this payment.

We know that addressing the cost of disability is not a question of income support alone. The delivery of and access to services are also key. We need all of the Departments and agencies of Government to work together to address the issue in a comprehensive way.

That is why the Taoiseach set up a Cabinet Committee on Disability and a dedicated programme office within his own Department.

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.

The work of this network, which will include people with disabilities and their advocates, will inform the approach we will be taking in delivering on this Programme for Government commitment. Officials in my Department have started to have meetings with stakeholder groups with a view to bringing a proposal to Government in the first half of next year.

In terms of the phasing-out of the means test for Carer's Allowance, the Programme for Government has clearly set out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government.

As part of Budget 2026, we are increasing the income disregard for a single person by €375 per week to €1,000. That’s an increase of 60% and means that a single person who provides full time care but does some part-time work can earn over €55,000 per year from that work, and receive a full carers payment. In parallel, we are also increasing the income disregard for a couple by 60% or €750 to €2,000 per week.

These are the largest ever increases in the Carer’s Allowance income disregard and will mean that even people with what are considered to be relatively high incomes will qualify for a carer’s payment for the first time.

The latest changes are evidence of the Government’s determination to deliver on its commitment to eliminate the means test over our term and will do so in a progressive manner as part of the annual budget process.

I trust this clarifies the issues for the Deputy.