No person should be left socially, politically or economically worse off because of a disability. I think all of us in this House would agree on that in principle. Where the problem lies, however, is that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have their heads in the clouds. The estimated additional cost to a household in which a person with a disability lives stands at €555 per week. Worse again is that, rather than improving the situation, the Government’s budget last October actually made the situation worse. Despite a cost-of-living crisis continuing unabated, the Government chose to withdraw supports for people with disabilities to the tune of €1,400. It is simply not good enough to tell people that they have to wait for budget 2027 or beyond. It is a failure to recognise the current pressures that people are facing. What are people with disabilities to do? It was an error of judgment when the Government pulled supports last year. This motion recognises the lived reality of people with disabilities. It mandates urgent intervention through a lump sum of €500 for people with disabilities and a permanent intervention through a new cost-of-disability payment to be introduced immediately, rather than at the next budget or later. It is a disgrace for the Government to say that. Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and their Independent supporters have a choice now. Do they agree that these interventions are necessary or do they think that people with disabilities should wait until budget 2027 or beyond before the Government responds and actually does something? The previous Government carried out a report on this five years ago. Surely, it has had enough time to decide what to do. We cannot listen to any more excuses, nor can people with disabilities.

Sentiment score: -0.04