As I stand here, I am really conscious of the pressures people are under. At petrol stations, people are paying more and more for their fill. At supermarket tills, people are paying more and more for groceries. The cost of living is rising and the cost of doing business is rising. That is why the Government has acted with the largest support package in the EU. For those with disabilities and their families, there is an extra layer of cost, namely, the cost of disability. That is why the Minister, Deputy Dara Calleary, is developing a framework for a specific cost-of-disability payment. What people are feeling in their pockets, at the forecourts and at supermarket tills is a direct result of geopolitical instability. That is exactly why stability has never been as important as it is now here in Ireland - stability in government, stability in the economy and stability in our society. That is what Fine Gael in government has always provided, whether it was through Brexit, Covid or now, and we will continue to do that. As the Minister of State with special responsibility for disability, I work day in and day out with my senior Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, to support people with disabilities and their families. We have the largest ever budget for disability services and we are working hand in hand to transform that into improved outcomes for people. Disability is our top priority but it also needs to be a priority for every Minister across Government because people do not live in Government Departments or silos. Rather, they live in communities, villages and towns around Ireland. That is why disability now sits at the heart of Government in the disability unit in the Department of the Taoiseach to drive progress for people with disabilities right across Ireland. We do that through cocreation and collaboration with people with disabilities under our national strategy for disabled people.

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