Deputy Ward calls for Emergency Winter Payment for people with disabilities

Deputy Charles Ward has called on An Taoiseach Micheál Martin to introduce an Emergency Winter Payment for people with disabilities.

Speaking in the Dail, the 100% Redress Deputy said as temperatures plummet, thousands of people with disabilities face increased hardship and isolation due to the government’s poor Budget decisions.

“People with disabilities are €1,400 worse off this year due to the removal of essential supports in Budget 2026,” he said.

Deputy Ward said many constituents with disabilities, struggling with these cuts, contacted him over the Christmas period.

“Donegal can be an isolated place for anyone in the icy weather, when it becomes impossible to leave the house, but for people with disabilities, this isolation can be detrimental to their physical and mental health. Disabled people are at greater risk of experiencing poverty and social exclusion,” he said.

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Research from The Central Statistics Office has shown that 2 in 5 people with a disability are unable to afford essentials like heating or clothes, and 1 in 5 people with a disability live in consistent poverty.

The 100% Redress Party leader urged the Taoiseach to consider people with disabilities living in defective homes during these cold snaps, and asked whether he would commit to introducing an Emergency Winter Payment.

In response, Taoiseach Martin said: “In the Budget we made significant efforts in terms of supporting people with disabilities and also people on low incomes in respect of fuel.”