The simple reality, the simple fact we all know, is that people who have a disability are much more likely to be poor, much more likely to be under incredible pressure at the end of the month and much more likely to have to make decisions about whether to pay a bill or do the shopping or whether they can afford a piece of equipment or to pay for insurance. These are the decisions people with disabilities face on a monthly basis and the reality is that situation has got worse. After the last budget, people with disabilities were €1,400 worse off, according to independent analysis. They were worse off at a time the Government produced a budget with the biggest tax giveaway in the history of the State. It did not benefit ordinary workers, but went to developers, funds and so on. Ultimately, people with disabilities were right at the back of the queue, which is completely unacceptable and it needs to be redressed now. That is why we are calling for an emergency budget. It needs to be addressed. I cannot believe the Government moved an amendment to our motion, withdrawing the call for an emergency budget and emergency payment. We have to return to the cost-of-disability payment. Under the last Government, the then Minister, Heather Humphreys, tried to bring in a system that seemed to be trying to coax and force people into work that would not have been suitable for them, almost on pain of losing their payments. It was completely rejected by disabled people's organisations and people with disabilities generally, but that is not a reason not to deal with the issue. The Government should not do it like that. It should not use a stick to deprive people of payments. Let us figure out what are the additional costs people have and how to meet them, because they can vary depending on whether people are living in urban or rural areas, the nature of the disability and so on. I know it is complex, that it is not necessarily simple, but it has to be addressed and it does not seem as if the Department is pursuing it with enough vigour. Other people have made the point that people with disabilities and their families face struggles all their lives. One of the biggest ones being faced at the moment is that there is no plan for children with intellectual disabilities towards the end of their parents' or carers' lives, when they are in their 70s and 80s. The Before We Die campaign is highlighting this, that there is no plan for when people are no longer able to care and that is not acceptable.

Sentiment score: -0.32