Social Welfare Payments
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-15
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Dara Calleary (FF), Mayo

I agree about the complexity of the costs facing people with disabilities. We are anxious to capture all those to make this a permanent cost, and one that reflects what they want in it. We will engage with all of the organisations, including the Disability Federation of Ireland, about that. In budget 2026 we have already taken measures, including a €10 increase in the weekly rate of payment, which brings the personal rates of payment to €254; a €20 per month increase in the rate of domiciliary care allowance, which brings that rate to €380 per month from this month; and the highest ever increases in child support payment, at €16 for children aged 12 and over, which brings the rate to €78, and €8 for children under 12, which brings that rate to €58. In budget 2026, we also allocated €3.8 billion to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality for disability services. This is being invested in services to make sure the day-to-day experience of people is dealt with. I am determined to pursue a cost-of-disability payment and I look forward to engaging with the committee about what it should look like, who should get it and how it should be paid. There are different models and interpretations, and I want active and constructive discussion with every member of the committee and every party. We all want to do this, but it is how we do it. I want to make sure that we have the voices of people with disabilities and their advocates in the discussion.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-15