Disability Issues
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-29
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing interest in and genuine expertise regarding the issue of renewables and plug-in solar, and for his correspondence. I continue to engage with colleagues across Government on that. We will keep in touch with the Deputy in respect of it.
I also thank the Deputy for raising the Before We Die campaign. This is something we are discussing right across Government. The Taoiseach and I, along with relevant Ministers, intend to meet this group again shortly. The Taoiseach and I have already met its representatives. I would argue that many if not all Ministers have met the group, as have so many other TDs. The group is right. There are real issues here. There are some legislative issues that it has highlighted, but there are also a number of practical issues. If we are building more homes - not enough, but more - in our communities. If we are building more social homes than at any time since the seventies, even a small change in a community in terms of a percentage of those homes being provided for those with disabilities could really move the dial. There is a lot of good work going on with the Ministers for housing and disability on this matter.
On tax and expenditure, we will have to wait until next week's budget. We will engage during the week on specific measures, but people can expect that a cost-of-disability payment to be introduced in the budget.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-29