Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
868. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if as part of his Department's budgetary proposals this year will they propose measures to address issues raised by a report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40563/23]
View answerThe Cost of Disability in Ireland report was commissioned by the Minister for Social Protection and was prepared by Indecon International Research Economists. It was published by the Department of Social Protection in December 2021. It provides important evidence of the additional costs that people with a disability face annually.
The Report has implications for many areas of public policy and noted the whole of government dimension to tackling the issues and challenges facing disabled persons that it explored. This need for a whole of government response, including in relation to budgetary measures, means that there is a shared obligation on all departments to consider the additional costs associated with disability, for disabled individuals and their families, and to be cognisant of the need for targeted supports on a mainstream basis.
This is in keeping with Ireland's long-standing mainstream-first approach to the development of disability policy.
I will continue to ensure that the Cost of Disability report informs actions and measures, within the context of the responsibilities of my Department and in engaging with colleagues to coordinate measures at a whole of government level.
Following the end of the scheduled period of operation for the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (2017 - 2022), work is ongoing to coordinate the development of a successor strategy. My department is currently engaging in targeted consultations with key stakeholders, including disabled person's organisations, which will help to shape the consultation and drafting process. It is important to me that this strategy is developed in a way that is cognisant of the shared obligation to reduce the day to day costs for people with disabilities in Ireland. I will be encouraging my ministerial colleagues to bring forward ambitious proposals for action under the new strategic framework to address the cost of disability within the context of their own ministerial portfolios.
