People with disabilities are a priority for my Department which will spend €19 billion on social protection measures in 2014.
My Department has maintained this level of financial support for people with disabilities against a background where very significant reductions in the Department’s budget over successive years had to be imposed in order to comply with the national recovery programme. I would emphasise that core weekly social welfare payments for people with disabilities have been maintained for 2014.
I should also add that my Department, along with nine other Departments of state, is contributing to the National Disability Strategy Implementation Plan (2013 -2015) which was published in 2013 and which has the full backing of the Taoiseach and various Ministers through the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy.