Public Consultation on the Cost of Disability

We are looking for your views on two things:

• The agenda and format for a Cost of Disability Strategic Focus Network Summit. This will be held on the 13 May 2026. This will be a one-day event where key people and groups meet to discuss the cost of disability and help shape future strategy. The summit will include Disabled Persons’ Organisations, Senior Government Officials, employers, civil society representatives and stakeholders with subject expertise. The Minister for Social Protection will chair the Summit
• A cost of disability payment. The government has promised to bring in an annual cost of disability payment. We would welcome your views on how the payment should be designed

Tell me more about what the Cost of Disability is

Disabled people often face extra costs because of their disability. These extra costs are called – The Cost of Disability.

The cost of disability is different for everyone. It comes about because disabled people often need extra support, equipment, or services to go about everyday life. It also comes about because barriers in society, such as inaccessible transport or buildings, can create extra expenses that non-disabled people do not face.

The extra costs involve areas, including, but not limited to:

• household costs (such as heating and lighting)
• communication costs
• mobility and transport
• health care and assistance services
• special equipment, aids and appliances
• medicines

Tell me more about the Strategic Focus Network Summit

The Government published the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 in September 2025.

In this strategy the government promised to hold a Cost of Disability Strategic Focus Network Summit.

The summit will provide a space for people to:

• discuss the purpose of a cost of disability payment
• share their ideas on how a cost of disability payment might work
• identify key actions needed to introduce the payment
• identify key actions on the cost of disability across the whole of government that can be progressed during the timeframe of the strategy

A briefing paper will be written after the summit. It will outline the main lessons learned. This paper will help the government to introduce a cost of disability payment.

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment.

This summit is an important step towards developing the new payment. It will also help find ways to reduce the cost of disability. The submissions we receive through the consultation will help guide this work. Together they will help us address the cost of disability in a meaningful and sustainable way.

This consultation is open to everyone. We would particularly like to hear from disabled people, their families and carers, their representative groups, and Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs/DPROs).

If making a written submission is not accessible for you, you can make a video submission. Video submissions can be made in Irish Sign Language. You can also call us to make a submission over the phone.

Before making a submission, please read the guidance document. It explains what to include when making your submission.

It is important to read the privacy information below as your submission may be published on gov.ie.

If you are contributing on behalf of an organisation, please provide the organisation name. Let us know if it is a Disabled Persons Organisation.

If you are contributing as an individual it helps (but is not required), to tell us if you are contributing as:

• someone with a disability
• a family member or carer of someone with a disability
• another type of contributor

We will not name individuals, but all views may be published on gov.ie and feature as a summary in a report.

Making a written submission

If you want to write a submission, you can send it by post or email:

• send it to the following address: COD Consultation, Disability and Carers Policy Unit, Floor 5, Áras Mhic Dhiarmada, Store Street, Dublin 1, D01 WY03
• email it as an attachment to DCPolicyConsultation@welfare.ie Please put “COD Consultation” in the subject line.

Making a video submission

If you want to make a video submission, you can:

• email it as an attachment to DCPolicyConsultation@welfare.ie Please put “COD Consultation” in the subject line.

Making a submission by phone

If you want to make a submission over the phone, you can:

• call Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• between 10am and 12pm
• or 2pm and 4pm
• call on 0818 607 780

The Department of Social Protection will review all the responses.

We will use the feedback and submissions received will help to:

• inform the format and content of the Strategic Focus Network Summit
• design and develop options for a cost of disability payment
• identify ways that all government departments and agencies can make changes to lower the cost of disability in the future

If you are making a written submission, please read the privacy information below. We will not identify any individuals, but all views may be published on gov.ie.

We will publish a report on the consultation on gov.ie with a summary of the submissions we receive.

This is a public consultation, and the Freedom of Information Act 2014 applies. This means that written submissions will be published by the Department of Social Protection in full. We ask you to please read our Privacy Statement.

To help us protect your privacy, we ask you not to provide information that is:

• personal
• commercially sensitive
• anything which you would not want made public

(Commercially sensitive information includes information on pricing, profits, new ideas or sensitive industry knowledge.)

However, if you do provide commercially sensitive information, please

clearly identify the material, and tell us:

• why it is commercially sensitive
• why it should not be published or made available under the Freedom of Information Act

We may receive a request to release a submission under the Freedom of Information Act and be required to release it.

In these cases, we will consult with you about the information that is personal or identified as commercially sensitive.

We will do this before we decide to:

• release the submission in full
• release part of the submission (some details will be blacked out so they cannot be read)
• not release the submission

How long will you keep the submissions?

We will keep the submissions until the review is complete and any accepted recommendations have been put in place.

Relevant legislation

All responses to this consultation are subject to:

• The Freedom of Information Act
• The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016/679
• The Data Protection Act 2018

The deadline to send your submission is 5pm Tuesday 7 April 2026.

Email: DCPolicyConsultation@welfare.ie

Phone: 0818 607 780

Address:

COD Consultation

For a copy of the consultation in braille please call us or email us at DCPolicyConsultation@welfare.ie

Please say which version of braille you would like.