Richard Boyd Barrett Urges Emergency €400 Disability Winter Payment
Richard Boyd Barrett called for an emergency disability winter payment of €400 and urged the Government to concede the demand ahead of a planned protest. He said disabled people face extra energy and living costs and criticised Budget measures that, he said, removed €1,400 of supports.
Planned protest and demand
The speaker said disabled people, disability groups and the Affordable Ireland Coalition will mobilise at Parnell Square on Saturday at 1pm to demand an emergency disability winter payment of €400 and the implementation of a cost of disability payment.
Personal testimony cited
He highlighted testimony from a young man, Jack, who explained he had to buy an extra duvet because he fears turning on the heating, experiences anxiety when going to shops, and faces higher energy costs because he must power a wheelchair. The speaker used this example to illustrate the specific cost pressures on people with disabilities.
Policy request and timing
The speaker pressed the Government to concede the emergency payment before the Saturday demonstration and reiterated the call for the State to design and introduce, for the first time, a cost of disability payment to address ongoing additional living costs.
Government position and engagement
A Government representative noted work is underway to develop a cost of disability payment and said a consultation opened this week or last week, with engagement planned with people with disabilities and representative bodies. The Government also pointed to targeted Budget measures, including changes to fuel allowance eligibility, and said emergency payments remain available through Community Welfare Officers for those in difficulty.
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This Saturday at one o'clock in Parnell Square, disabled people, disability groups and the Affordable Ireland Coalition of which I am a part will be mobilising in a protest demanding that this Government relent and concede the demand for an emergency disability winter payment of €400 for those with disabilities and beyond that implement a cost of disability payment. A young man Jack who was at our press conference yesterday promoting the demonstrations on the radio today was describing how he had to buy an extra duvet because he doesn't want to turn on the heating because he's afraid of the costs, he gets anxiety attacks when he has to go to the shops, how the additional energy costs because he has to power his wheelchair because he's in a wheelchair, all of these cost of living pressures which you hammered those people in the Budget by taking away €1400 for them, will you concede their demand for an emergency payment before this demonstration on Saturday? The Government is in the process of working to develop a cost of disability payment, the consultation opened on that this week I believe or last week and we are actively engaging now with people with disabilities directly and also with their representative bodies and I would really encourage everybody and political parties in this House to get involved in that process as we try to design for the first time in this country a cost of disability payment. I do appreciate that the cost of living challenges are real for people, that's why we took a number of measures in the Budget that were targeted including when you mentioned energy, a number of changes around the fuel allowance, expanding the eligibility and I would also make the point that emergency payments are available also through our Community Welfare Officers for anybody in any difficulty.
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