2026-01-15

12. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures being taken in his Department in 2026 to support people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2886/26]

I thank the Deputy for her question. In budget 2026, we have provided for a substantial package of €28.9 billion of social protection measures with €1.15 billion of new social protection measures. This contained significant targeted measures to support people with disabilities, including a €10 increase in the weekly rate of payment bringing the personal rates of payment to €254 per week from January and the highest ever increases in the child support payment - an increase of €16 to €78 per week for children aged 12 or over and of €8 to €58 for children under 12 years old. There is a €5 increase in the fuel allowance, bringing it to €38 per week from 1 January. In addition, the budget 2026 allocation of €3.8 billion to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality for disability services in 2026 represents a significant investment to ensure that those with disabilities receive the right support at the right time in the right place. To make the welfare to work journey as smooth as possible in 2026, we provided additional supports for those moving from disability allowance or blind pension to take up work. They will be able to retain their fuel allowance payment for five years. Those getting disability allowance or blind pension who have children will be eligible for the back to work family dividend when taking up employment and moving off those payments. There is an expansion of the wage subsidy scheme to those who acquire a disability while in employment and those who transfer from invalidity pension to partial capacity benefit. We are increasing the rates paid from April. The programme for Government is committed to introducing a permanent annual cost-of-disability support payment. In addition, under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, my Department established a strategic focus network on the cost of disability. My officials met with a number of organisations on 2 December at my Department's disability consultative forum, at which the cost-of-disability strategic focus network was the main agenda item. A meeting with the Disabled Persons Organisation's network is being organised. It is scheduled to take place next Friday, 23 January. I have asked my officials to prioritise this work with a view to bringing a proposal to the Government in the first half of this year.

Other Members in the House have articulated the huge pressures people with disabilities and their families are under in relation to paying their bills and surviving. Like the Minister, I have heard from many disabled activists of their devastation. They are feeling very let down about the cost-of-disability payment. I understand all the arguments. Those arguments and the practical reasons there was not a cost-of-living payment or support for disabled people in this year's budget is understandable and logical but practically for people who have disabilities, it is a huge let down. It has a huge impact on their families and lives. I cannot stress enough how disappointed they are but "disappointment" is just a word. These are families who are on the breadline anyway with that grant. I wish to articulate how crucial the work, the review and the engagement with people with disabilities the Minister is doing at the minute is. It cannot happen fast enough.

Absolutely. It is crucial and a priority for the Department. Within budget 2026, we included a €10 increase in the weekly rate of payment. That goes to €254. There was a €20 increase in the monthly rate of domiciliary care allowance increasing to €380 a month from 1 January. There were the highest ever increases in the child support payment - a €16 increase for children aged 12 or over, bringing it to €78, and an €8 increase for children under 12 years old, bringing it to €58. There was a €5 increase in the fuel allowance. We are very focused. I will be doing detailed consultation with people with disabilities, their advocates and the public generally about a permanent of cost-of-disability payment. This is not a payment that depends on the year-to-year budgetary situation. This will be a permanent payment to reflect the cost pressures - the very real pressures - people are under. I am determined to progress that in terms of budget 2027.

We all will herald in the success of that cost-of-disability payment and want that payment to come through. The Minister articulated clearly the increases that have been put forward but there are so many people who are the working poor and who do not qualify for so many of those grants. Whether it is lower employment rates or lower income rates, or higher costs of living for people who need extra heat, who cannot travel work or for whom there is a lack of access to transport, there are extra charges on those people and their households. There are so many working poor but there are far more working poor people with disabilities. I want to make sure the cost-of-disability payment takes into account the thousands of people with disabilities in this country who are working, continue to be poor and caught in that poverty trap of not getting access to benefits and the costs still being there for them.

We all accept there is a need for a cost-of-disability payment. That goes without saying. We also need to ensure we facilitate as many people into employment as possible. The Minister has accepted there is underemployment within the State of those with disabilities. He quibbled some of the figures that are out there. If the Minister could come back on that, it would be useful. I have spoken many times with him before in relation to the wage subsidy scheme, WSS, and the drop in the number of those who are employed by it over the past number of years and the employers taking it up. It has been reviewed but I do not think a proper job has been done in relation to what needs to be delivered. The Minister has corresponded with me in relation to what has been brought to me from the likes of the Rehab Group, Mr PRICE and others who employ a number of those with disabilities. They believe the WSS is not up to scratch at the minute. We need to see greater employability and workability. We also need to see reasonable accommodation funding, as in work and access. It needs to be fit for purpose. At this point in time, it is not in relation to those who need assistive technologies or the employer or whoever has to go through the administrative burden. It is too much at the moment.

I was not going to say anything but I felt moved to do so. It is interesting to hear a Government backbencher describe how people with disabilities were left devastated and feeling let down by the budget. Of course, the difference between myself and the Minister's backbench colleague is that she voted for budget and I did not. This is the very same budget that devastated and let people down. I have a simple question to the Minister. People with disabilities say the budget left them €1,400 worse off. Does the Minister accept that figure?

I have been speaking to a lot of disabled people over the past few weeks about their experiences and on this question of a cost-of-disability payment, permanent or otherwise. Some of the stories they told me were that they were using only one heating bar on their electric heater rather two because they could not afford the cost of electricity, that they were going in for central dialysis in a hospital because they could not afford the energy costs of doing it at home thus increases the risk of hospitalisation and that they could not charge their electronic wheelchair. A wheelchair user was going to several shops to try to figure out where she could get the best deal for food. There is real anger and frustration at this drop of €1,400 that has been stripped from people with disabilities. These costs are affecting everyone but this is the most vulnerable population in the State. They were vulnerable before the cost-of-living crisis. They will be vulnerable after the cost-of-living crisis. Importantly, I reject this question of it being a one-off payment. If the Minister intends to introduce a cost-of-disability payment, a payment in lieu of it through the Supplementary Estimates process would absolutely be within his gift and within the gift of Fianna Fáil.

There are a number of issues. I made it very clear that we are working on introducing a permanent cost-of-disability payment. I look forward to hearing people's proposals on this with a view towards budget 2027. In relation to the employability issues raised by Deputies McGreehan and Ó Murchú, we have made changes to the wage subsidy scheme. At the end of November, we had 1,550 employers and 2,615 employees participating. I have made administrative changes, in particular in terms of centralising the decision-making process in this so that it is quicker. In terms of work and access, I am making changes in relation to adaptive technology so that we can support it. Deputy Ó Murchú has engaged with me on this a number of times and we are making changes to support employers who use assistive technology. It gives many more opportunities. We have changed the rates and we continue to review the rates and their impact. As I said earlier, we will do a number of themed disability employment events throughout 2026 to encourage employers to offer opportunities to those with a disability, not only here in Dublin but across the country.

We move to Question No. 13. I can only allow one supplementary question because we are out of time.