2861. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to support the provision and training of assistance dogs, including autism assistance dogs; whether consideration is being given to providing sustainable multi-annual funding for organisations delivering these services as part of the implementation of the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025–2030; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56759/26]

I thank the Deputy for his question. I recognise the many benefits that assistance dogs can have for the health and well-being of disabled children and young people, including autistic children and young people and their families.

One of the ways in which the Department of Children, Disability and Equality has supported assistance dogs projects is via the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF) which is an annual fund provided by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality to support the participation of people with disabilities in local activities, to help remove barriers to community involvement and to support the promotion and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in communities.

Most recently, DPAF has provided funding for a therapy dogs programme to train school therapy dogs to support neurodiverse students’ emotional well-being and improve school attendance. Under the current iteration of DPAF, a dedicated strand has been made available to support projects that use animal-assisted approaches to promote inclusion, connection and well-being. The call for this iteration of DPAF ran throughout March and April 2026. Details of the next iteration of DPAF are due to be announced in the coming months.

More generally, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is coordinating the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 across government, setting out a whole-of-government approach to delivering a step-change in national disability policy across several areas impacting on the lives of disabled people.

The focus of the Strategy and the First Programme Plan of Action 2025-2026 is on the delivery of a range of key commitments and priority actions across five pillars ranging from education and employment to independent living, health and transport and mobility.

While the provision of funding to specific organisations, including organisations that train and provide assistance dogs, including autism assistance dogs, does not come under the scope of the current First Programme Plan of Action, the Strategy has been designed to function as a dynamic document, and further opportunities will arise for input from disability stakeholders as it evolves across the five years of the Strategy’s implementation.

To ensure that the voice of disabled people is central to the realisation of their rights the Department of Children, Disability and Equality has established and developed robust stakeholder engagement structures to guide and oversee implementation of the Strategy and the First Programme Plan of Action, enabling policy developments to continue to be responsive to the lived experiences of disabled people and the realities of their lives.