630. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated cost in 2027 if an extra 200,000 extra home support hours were provided. [50791/26]

Home support services are provided to both children and adults with a wide range of disabilities from physical and sensory disabilities to intellectual disabilities and autism. The home support service assists the person with everyday tasks to enable them to live at home and with family.

Budget 2026 saw a substantial investment of €15m to increase the rate for service delivery for both home support and personal assistance, helping ensure providers can build and sustain the workforce needed to support people with disabilities every day and fulfilling a key Programme for Government commitment to align the disability rates with the rate paid for similar support services in other sectors.

As of 1 January 2026, the increased rate for home support service delivery is €32.73 per hour. Calculated on the basis of this rate, the estimated full-year cost of providing 200,000 additional home support hours is €6,546,000.