Delivering on disability issues - Taoiseach publishes Budget 2026: Spotlight on Disability
- Foilsithe:
- An t-eolas is déanaí:
The Taoiseach, Michael Martin TD, has today published the Budget 2026: Spotlight on Disability report. The report was prepared by the new Disability Unit established by the Taoiseach to bring a renewed focus, urgency and weight to disability issues.
The Budget 2026: Spotlight on Disability report outlines new or enhanced disability related measures introduced in Budget 2026 that will support the implementation of the Government’s new overarching strategy, the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030.
The report finds that Budget 2026 had a particularly strong focus on investment in both disability and mainstream services. This includes an increase of 20% in funding for disability services, which will improve both sustainability of the sector and delivery of disability services for children and adults, and a record allocation for special education.
In addition, Budget 2026 also contained targeted and mainstream social protection measures which will support households with disabilities, including increases in weekly rates, targeted employment supports, and amendments to income disregards for carers.
This is first step in the Government’s ambition to deliver the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. Future Budgets are expected to build on this progress to ensure disabled people are supported, empowered, and enabled to fully participate in their communities and society.
The Disability Unit, which prepared the report, has been established in the Department of the Taoiseach to support all-of-government efforts to address disability issues. The Unit’s first programme plan, published in September, outlines how the unit will drive the delivery of the Government's new disability strategy, working across government to make its ambitions a reality.
In addition to measures announced as part the budget, developments supported by the Unit in recent months include further investment and reforms to improve delivery of disability services, in particular children’s services, the establishment of the new Education Therapy Service, which will see therapists working in special schools in 2026, and measures to improve the Assessment of Need process for children and their families.
The Taoiseach said:
“The Government is determined to deliver real progress for disabled people and their families.
“This first budget spotlight report, prepared by the new Disability Unit in my Department, shows that we are starting to take the necessary steps to do this, such as the significant additional investment in disability services, which will see an expansion in the provision of respite and therapy services, and record investment in special education provision.
“Budget 2026 is just the first step. Working with, and listening to, disabled people, we are determined to deliver real change over the coming years, meeting our commitments in the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People.”