Social Welfare Payments
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-26
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John Paul O'Shea (FG), Cork North-West

It is great that, as of today, more than 80 submissions have already been made. I join the Minister in encouraging people with disabilities, their families, carers, representative organisations and all interested stakeholders to take part in the newly launched public consultation process relating to the cost of disability.
The programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce a permanent-cost-of-disability support payment recognising the significant additional costs that many disabled people face in their daily lives. The consultation seeks views on how this new payment should be designed and delivered. The consultation provides a very important opportunity for disabled people and their families to shape a payment that is intended to directly address the real and ongoing additional costs associated with disabilities. These include costs relating to transport, healthcare, education, communication, assistive technologies and high household expenses. I encourage the Minister and all in this House to publicise this consultation as broadly as possible in order that we can get as many people as possible provide feedback.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:42+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-26