Brian Stanley calls for disability cost-of-living payment

Minister, one in 12 people have a disability, roughly 8% of the population and have a lifelong disability and this presents a challenge for society how we treat these people. Two in five of those people with disability risk poverty, one in five lives in absolute poverty and consistent poverty and that's a shocking figure in itself. It's well documented that the cost of living is higher for disability. The costs have been well outlined in terms of transport, extra costs, medical costs, heating costs and everything else and a government report and we must look at this as well Minister in the context of a cost of living crisis. We're not living in normal times where if you look at the rate of inflation it's accelerating particularly the cost of essentials such as heating and food and transport and everything else but a government report way back in 2021 that actually confirmed that an additional cost of between 9,480 and 11,734 euros was the cost of actually having disability and that's huge. So I think what we're discussing here tonight is important to develop a cost of living disability payment to give an additional 20 euros per week from January and for a lump sum payment this month to provide immediate assistance to people with disabilities. I think that's really really important that we do that and I just said to you that it's a huge issue and can I just in terms of the cost of disability there's one issue I want to highlight to you regarding young people which I'm sure you've come across that reply here from the HSE and they tell me that in the region I live in, Lee Shoffley, they say that there's currently a backlog of approximately 20 months plus for an assessment of need. That's for a child that needs an assessment of need. Now I know it's even taking longer than that and what that means there Minister is very simple, those parents are begging and borrowing to meet that cost because they're going privately to get those assessments done and that's only to get the assessment done. When they get the assessment done they then have to go and try and source the therapies which are often not available. So I just want to highlight that as one additional cost particularly with people with children with special needs needs to bring that home to you. If I could just say to you that one young person in the county contacted me, well contacts for many but one in particular put this very well, if I could say it, wrote me a letter and said I'm writing to you regarding my concerns about the recently announced budget as a young person's income my income is exclusively disability allowance due to my circumstances and the budget for 2026 has overlooked and neglected my needs and the needs of many others. Disability allowance as you know is 10 euros of an increase to 254. However the poverty line in 2024 for a single adult for such as myself was was assessed by Saint Vincent de Paul as anything below 246 euros. That's what said to me in the letter and just to highlight that you know the human the human story behind this. Could I say to you as well Minister that a lot of people who are who have a disability because they're isolated in their home to suffer from depression and due to their living isolation and also due to their financial situation the mortality rate is a lot higher for people with disability and they're more likely to suffer from mental health issues if they're confined to the home and particularly if they're no work and the pathways to employment for people with disability in this in this state are not good. I recently visited Rehab Enterprises and Leash to see the work that they're doing and meet some of the people there with disabilities and it's hard to see what they can do when they're given the opportunity but Ireland ranks the lowest in terms of employment for those with with with a disability by almost 20 percent for women it's worse women with disability raises for 45 percent 45 percent of a of a difference those who are moderately just moderately disabled should be given better opportunities to gain employment and better access to education and particularly young people with disability and work it's really important that their ability not their disability but their ability and talents are recognized valued and utilized and it would really impress on your ministry the importance of trying to you know trying to develop pathways further pathways to work I think it's really really important that we do that because a lot of have so much to offer I'm sure you have seen in yourself cases with people with disabilities you know that we don't recognize their ability enough so just to conclude with the budget with the rate now at 254 for 2026 it's inadequate the gap the gap is in the region of around 10 000 the um as I said to you say vincent de paul said a minimum of 246 per week is is required but I think 20 euros at least 20 euros of an increase from january would be a start and let's start looking at uh disabled people's ability uh and less under disability I really encourage the government to do that uh in out into the future thank you