Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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2005. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of introducing a €55 per week cost of disability payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56695/26]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2051. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full year cost of a universal, non-taxable Cost of Disability payment of €55 a week for those in receipt of disability related income supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57919/26]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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2106. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans to introduce a cost of disability payment as recommended by the 2021 Government commissioned Indecon Report and in view of the commitment to in the Programme for Government to introduce a permanent annual cost of disability support payment to be increased incrementally over its lifetime of the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59148/26]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2005, 2051 and 2106 together.

Supporting disabled people is a key priority for me and for the Government. We recognise the additional costs that disabled people can face in their daily lives and we are committed improving outcomes for disabled people by introducing permanent measures. That is why the Programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce a permanent annual cost of disability payment.

In addition, the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which was developed with significant input from disability groups and advocates, includes a commitment to a Strategic Focus Network Summit on the Cost of Disability, emphasising the cross-government nature of the issue.

Ahead of the Summit I ran a public consultation process on how a cost of disability payment can best be delivered. I am very pleased that there was an exceptional response with over 1,100 submissions received.

The submissions also helped inform the agenda for the Summit which I hosted in the Aviva Stadium on the 13th of May 2026. It was an in-person and on-line event attended by many people with disabilities, Disabled Persons' Organisations and other advocacy groups as well as representatives of many Government Departments. At the Summit we heard from disabled people about their lived experience - the costs they incur and the impact these costs have on their daily lives.

The Summit was also attended by members of the Oireachtas together with senior Government Ministers including the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, and the Minister of State for Disability and the Minister of State at the Department of Transport. This attendance indicates that while the work on the cost of disability has been led by my Department the delivery of a solution will involve a range of Departments and agencies.

On 16 July, I presented a briefing paper on the Summit to the Strategy's Delivery and Monitoring Committee which is chaired by the Taoiseach, and attended by other Government Ministers as well as Disabled Person's Organisations and representatives of Civil Society Groups. This paper will be published in accessible formats as soon as possible.

We are also continuing to engage with disability groups. A specific workshop on disability matters was hosted as part of the National Economic Dialogue and I hosted the Pre-Budget Forum on 1 July where we had a session on issues relating to disability and caring. All of these engagements together with the output of the Strategic Focus Network will inform the approach that we, across Government, take in Budget 2027.

In response to the specific question regarding an annual cost of a €55 weekly payment if paid to the current 233,900 recipients of disability income support payments from my Department, a weekly payment of €55 per week would cost approximately €669 million per year.

As no decisions have been made regarding the design or eligibility criteria, it is not possible to provide further detail about a cost estimate at this stage or to comment on the tax status of such payments.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.