Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2023
520. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the timeline he is working towards for publication of the Cost of Disability Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32627/23]
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.
The Report has implications for many areas of public policy. As such, a whole-of-Government approach is required to develop appropriate responses and to ensure that everyday costs are reduced for people with disabilities and their families. This is in keeping with Ireland's long-standing mainstream-first approach to the development of disability policy. For that reason, the Cost of Disability report was referred to the Steering Group of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDISSG) within 24 hours of publication, and the NDISSG agreed to consider the conclusions and recommendations of the report in the context of monitoring actions under the NDIS until the conclusion of that strategy in December 2022. During this time, departments and agencies across Government reported to the NDISSG on the various ways in which the Cost of Disability report was informing their approach to delivering actions under the NDIS. As the NDIS concluded in December 2022 the focus of my Department is on the development of an ambitious new successor strategy.
In that context there are no plans to develop a specific action plan to respond to the Cost of Disability report. Rather I intend to ensure that the Cost of Disability report informs actions within the context of the development of the new strategy and in respect of my own ministerial responsibilities, including specialist community-based disability services which transferred to me from the Minister of Health on 1 March 2023.
Work is ongoing across Government to coordinate the development of an ambitious successor strategy to the NDIS. It is important to me that this strategy includes meaningful action to reduce day to day costs for people with disabilities in Ireland. The Cost of Disability in Ireland report will be an important contribution to the evidence base from which actions and commitments in the new strategy are developed across Government throughout 2023.
