Disability Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-20
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Robert Troy (FF), Longford-Westmeath

When the Government took office this year, we committed to a step change in the delivery of supports and services for people with a disability and their families. That is a priority for the whole of Government. Budget 2026 is the first step in the delivery of this ambition, providing €3.83 billion to specialist disability services next year. That is an unprecedented increase of €618 million a year, or 20%. That reinforces and demonstrates our commitment to disability services.
I will take back what the Deputy said about an interim measure and I will talk to the Tánaiste when we meet next week about seeing whether that is feasible in the Department. I am told that it is not and that that is the reason a whole new scheme was to be devised. However, none of us as public representatives, be it as TDs, Senators or people who are fortunate enough to serve in executive positions, should accept that decisions that are meant to be implemented at a specific time are just allowed to roll on. We have to hold officials to account such that when a policy decision is taken it is implemented in a timely fashion. I always give the example of planning permissions with local authorities. It is legislatively prescribed that a decision must be taken within two months and a decision is taken within two months. I have said internally in my party that even if we have to bring in legislation that states when a decision is to be taken, the date is not a target but, rather, the decision has to be taken by that time. We are unfortunately allowing too many things slide on by weeks and weeks, which become months, and the only people who are affected are the people whom we are here to represent. That is not good enough.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-20