Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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129. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for an overview of his Budget 2026 measures to support people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62057/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Budget 2026 contains significant measures to support people on disability income support payments while also making it easier for people with disabilities to progress into and importantly to stay in employment. These measures include:

• €10 increase in the maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments from January 2026. There will be proportionate increases for people getting reduced rate.
• Increase the weekly rates of the Child Support Payment by €8 per week, to €58, for children under 12 and by €16 per week to €78 for children aged 12 and over.
• Christmas bonus – double week payment in December.
• €5 increase in Fuel Allowance from €33 to €38 per week from January 2026. This will provide an additional €140 during the annual fuel allowance season.
• People moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension to take up work from September 2026 will keep their Fuel Allowance for 5 years.
• People getting Disability Allowance or Blind Pension who have children will be eligible for Back to Work Family Dividend when taking up employment.
• Reducing the number of bands in the Wage Subsidy Scheme from six to three and increasing all the rates so that, from April 2026 the base rate will be €7.50 per hour (up from €6.30). Where an employer employs between 7 and 16 employees under the scheme, they will receive a new rate of €8.50. In the case of an employer who has more than 17 employees, the new higher rate will be €10 per hour for each employee.
• Expansion of the Wage Subsidy Scheme to people who acquire a disability while in employment and to those who transfer from Invalidity Pension to Partial Capacity Benefit.
• The Government allocated €3.8 billion to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality for disability services in 2026, including funding for Community Based Specialist Disability Services to ensure people with disabilities receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place. This represents a 20% increase year on year and represents an overall increase since 2020 of €1.8 billion.

• Increase the Earnings Disregard for Carer’s Allowance by €375 to €1,000 for a single person and by €750 to €2,000 for a couple from July 2026.
• The income limit for Carer’s Benefit will increase by €375 to €1,000 per week from July 2026.
• €20 increase in the monthly Domiciliary Care Allowance payment bringing the rate to €380 per month from January 2026.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.