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 due to the removal of essential supports in budget 2026. I have been contacted by many constituents over the Christmas period who are struggling with these cuts. Donegal is an isolated area and we have had bad snow and ice. People with disabilities have been basically abandoned. I want the Taoiseach to think in particular about disability and people living in defective homes during this cold snap. Disabled people are at greater risk of poverty and social exclusion. Two in five people with a disability are unable to afford essentials like heating and clothing. One in five people with disabilities lives in constant poverty. Will the Taoiseach address this by introducing an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities?

In the budget we made significant efforts to support people with disabilities and people on low incomes in respect of fuel. There was a basic €10 per week increase in the maximum rate of all State pensions. There were big increases in child support payments. There was an increase of €16 to €78 per week for children over the age of 12 and children under the age of 12 received an additional €8 to bring the payment to €58 per week. The fuel allowance will increase by €5 per week from January 2026. This gives an additional €140 over the fuel season. The fuel allowance now covers 26% of households, up from 23%. The extension to the family working payment to come in during March will be backdated to January. We have extended the reduced VAT rate of 9% on gas and electricity until the end of 2030. Record funding has been made available for home energy upgrades, retrofitting and solar PV via the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, with €558 million allocated. Then there is the microgeneration income tax exemption and so on. We have put in place a lot more reliefs to support those most in need.