“Forced to make impossible choices” Mayo TD calls for new disability supports
Rose Conway-Walsh TD says families in Mayo are struggling with rising costs linked to disability
Mayo TD Rose Conway-Walsh has called on the Government to introduce stronger financial supports for people with disabilities, including a permanent cost of disability scheme and a €500 lump-sum payment.
The call follows a Sinn Féin motion brought before Dáil Éireann this week focused on the financial impact of disability and the cost pressures facing individuals and families.
Deputy Conway-Walsh said the Government should immediately introduce an emergency package of supports, arguing that decisions taken in the Budget 2026 had left many people under increased financial strain.
“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael made a cruel decision in Budget 2026 to leave people with disabilities €1,400 worse off by withdrawing vital cost-of-living supports,” she said. “This has pushed many individuals and families to breaking point.”
The Sinn Féin TD cited research from the Economic and Social Research Institute and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, which she said showed households with a disabled family member face additional weekly costs ranging from €488 to €555.
According to Deputy Conway-Walsh, many people in Mayo are struggling to meet everyday expenses while also managing the added financial pressures associated with disability.
“I know of many disabled people and their families in Mayo who are being forced to make impossible choices between heating their homes, putting food on the table and covering the additional costs associated with living with a disability,” she said. “This is not acceptable for a country with a predicted €9.2 billion surplus for 2026.”
Sinn Féin’s Dáil motion called for an Emergency Budget that would include a €500 lump sum payment for people with disabilities, alongside plans for a permanent Cost of Disability Scheme to be introduced by Budget 2027.
“No one in the State should be left worse off socially, or financially, because of their disability,” Conway-Walsh said.
“People with disabilities cannot afford more delays or broken promises,” she added. “They deserve dignity, independence and security, and they deserve a government that will act now to ensure they are not pushed further into poverty and debt.”
The Government has yet to respond to Sinn Féin’s latest proposals.