The National Disability Services Association (NDSA), representing seven of Ireland's largest community-based disability service providers and supporting more than 40,000 people annually, has said that the Government's new €500 Cost of Disability payment falls significantly short of the financial support required by people with disabilities and their families.
While the payment recognises, for the first time, the additional costs associated with disability, NDSA expressed disappointment that the measure amounts to less than €10 per week when spread across a full year. The Association said this bears little relation to the real and ongoing costs faced by people with disabilities, including higher transport, energy, healthcare, equipment and personal support costs.
Speaking after the announcement, Dr Karen Foley, Chair of the NDSA said:
"People with disabilities face additional expenses every day of the year. A payment worth less than €10 a week simply does not reflect the scale of those costs orthe financial pressures many individuals and families continue to experience. For many people with disabilities, the additional costs of heating, transport, healthcare, assistive technology, personal supports and everyday living far exceed this amount over the course of a year. The government's own reports back this up.
NDSA said that a lump sum payment cannot substitute for a meaningful, recurring Cost of Disability payment and urged Government to set out a clear pathway towards a sustainable and adequate support that reflects the real cost of living with a disability.
Whilea cknowledging the additional funding announced for respite packages, residential places, home support and PA hours, the NDSA expressed concern that Budget 2027 does not clearly address the fundamental challenges facing disability service providers in an environment of persistent annual funding uncertainty. Though the need to strengthen financial sustainability for Section 39 organisations is acknowledged, there is scant detail on how Governmentintends to fund and deliver this reform.
“Year after year, disability service providers are expected to provide essential services, manage increasing costs, workforce pressures, regulatory requirements and growing demand, despite the lack of a sustainable funding model. Without multi-annual funding, it is extremely difficult to plan effectively, invest in our services or provide the stability that people with disabilities and their families deserve.
Ultimately,it is the people who rely on these services and their families who bear thegreatest cost when services cannot meet the demand.
Dr Foley continued:
“Government has been clear about its ambition. The National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People sets out a vision for a more inclusive, rights-based society, and important commitments to disabled people and their families.
But ambition without adequate resources cannot deliver real change. If Government is serious about implementing these commitments, it must ensure that the organisations providing services on its behalf have the funding, workforce and infrastructure necessary to do so.
The NDSA said it will continue to work constructively with Government and State agenciesto ensure that the commitments made to disabled people are translated into meaningful action.
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