Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 January 2026
690. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress that has been made on the commitment in the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020–2025 to assess the cost of disability; and when findings will be published. [5678/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020–2025 contains a commitment to commission a study on the cost of disability and publish a final report with recommendations.
My Department commissioned Indecon to research the cost of disability in Ireland. The resulting report was published in 2021 and it is available on gov.ie. It found that the additional costs of disability spread across a number of areas of expenditure including additional living expenses, mobility, transport and communications, care and assistance services, equipment, aids and appliances, and medicines.
The Government recognises the significant additional costs that disabled people can face in their daily lives and is committed to improving outcomes for disabled people by introducing permanent measures.
That is why the Programme for Government includes a range of commitments to support disabled people. Our Programme for Government commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government, having regard to the overall policy and budgetary context.
The Programme for Government commits 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 is leading a Strategic Focus Network Summit on the Cost of Disability. While it is led by my Department, it includes other Government departments in this cross-government endeavour, and will also include people with disabilities and their advocates.
This work, which includes disabled people and their advocates, will inform the approach to be taken in delivering on the Programme for Government commitment. I have asked my officials to prioritise this work with a view to bringing a proposal to Government in the first half of this year.
Officials have held meetings with a number of organisations to discuss the possible structure and content of the Strategic Focus Network Summit. My officials met with a number of organisations on 2nd December at my Department's Disability Consultative Forum, at which the Cost of Disability Strategic Focus Network Summit was the main Agenda item. Officials from across government were also in attendance given that this is a whole of Government issue. A meeting with the Disabled Persons Organisation's network was held on Friday, 23rd January.
The views of disabled people and all relevant research, such as the Indecon report and the more recent ESRI report, will be given due consideration by my Department when progressing this work.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
