Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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347. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will provide an update on the implementation of the cost of disability report recommendations, including any new measures being introduced in Budget 2026 to address the extra living costs faced by people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62188/25]

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.

Budget 2026 contains significant measures to support disabled people. These measures include:

• a €10 increase in the weekly rates of payment, bringing the personal rates of payment to €254 per week from January;
• a Christmas bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment, to be paid in December 2025;
• the highest ever increases in the Child Support Payment – an increase of €16 to €78 for children aged 12 or over, and of €8 to €58 for children under 12;
• a €20 increase in the rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance bringing the rate to €380 per month;
• a €5 increase in the Fuel allowance, bring it to €38 per week from January 2026;
• people moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension to take up work will be able to retain their Fuel Allowance payment for five years. The Back to Work Family Dividend is also being extended to this group, where they have children;
• from January, extending the Wage Subsidy Scheme to people who acquire a disability while in employment and increasing the rates paid from April;
• 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 also increase by €375 to €1,000 per week from July 2026.