Yesterday, campaigners from the Irish Wheelchair Association, Access for All, the Disability Federation of Ireland and others were outside Leinster House, as I am sure the Taoiseach is well aware. They were here because the recent budget has left people with disabilities up to €1,400 worse off. Many are afraid to heat their own homes, and they were very clear: people with disabilities are having to choose between heating and eating. That is what they said themselves. One of the protesters said that the budget was a disaster for families with disabilities. Another asked why they have to spend their lives fighting for the basics. Why do disabled people, their carers and often their families have to protest outside Leinster House? We are facing into a difficult winter, as the Taoiseach is well aware. I request, even at this late stage, that an energy credit be introduced so that people, not just those with a disability, can heat themselves over the winter months. Will the Government do that?

On Monday, I chaired the first meeting of the delivery and monitoring committee for the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 when we considered the programme plan of action for 2025 and 2026. In the budget that we just had, we recorded a 20% increase in disability funding, strengthening mainstream services and introducing targeted social protection supports for households with disabilities. We enhanced the domiciliary care allowance by €20 a week. We broadened the thresholds for carer's allowance and other payments were also increased. There were related investments in health and education. We are committed to introducing a permanent annual cost-of-disability support payment. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary, is leading the strategic focus network on the cost of disability. That is a key commitment under the strategy that I referenced earlier. That will shape our approach to delivering that payment and several meetings have already taken place. We want to put permanent supports in place. It is not financially sustainable to keep doing one-off payments.