Government turning “blind eye” to people with disabilities says O’Reilly

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Social Protection, Louise O’Reilly TD, has announced that the party will this week bring forward a motion calling for an emergency cost of disability payment to be implemented immediately. 

The Dublin Fingal West TD said, “in last year’s budget, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael made a cruel decision to leave people with disabilities €1,400 worse off.”

“This left thousands of households suffering at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis.  It put disabled people, their families and partners in a position where they are barely surviving – never mind able to live dignified, comfortable lives,” she said.

“Poverty data and individual testimonies published by SJI, DFI, Barnardo’s, SVP show that households where one or more members have a disability are currently being forced  to make impossible choices between heating their home, putting food on the table and powering essential mobility devices.”

“Despite the government’s attempts to dismiss people’s lived experiences, the reality is that disabled people urgently need support,” O’Reilly said.

“Households with a person who has a disability face high additional costs every week compared to households that don’t have a person with a disability.  Just because we’re coming into the warmer months does not mean people with disabilities do not continue to face unavoidable additional energy costs on top of other essential costs.”

“While the average level of energy arrears for households in the state has reached almost €500, for households with disabled members it is typically much, much more than this,” she noted.

“The government has been neglecting its duty to provide a basic threshold of decency for people; they cannot continue to turn a blind eye.  They have a responsibility to prevent people falling further into poverty and debt and must act now,” she said.

“Sinn Féin’s motion calls for an emergency cost of living budget with supports for workers and families including a lump sum payment for people with disabilities, and a new permanent Cost of Disability Scheme that finally delivers supports for those additional costs that people with disabilities and their families face.

“People with disabilities should not have to beg and plead for a decent standard of living – they should be able to live with dignity, independence and security.”