655. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated cost of increasing personal assistance hours by at least 270,000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51334/26]

The HSE provides a range of assisted living services including personal assistance (PA) services to support individuals to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives.

Budget 2026 saw a substantial investment of €15m to increase the rate for service delivery for both personal assistance and home support, 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 personal assistance service delivery is €32.73 per hour. Calculated on the basis of this rate, the estimated full-year cost of providing 270,000 additional hours of personal assistance is €8,837,100.