1993. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection to report on progress to meet their commitments under the national human rights strategy for disabled people; the measures taken since the strategy was introduced; the key metrics identified to measure progress; and if he will make a statement on the matter [60744/26]

The Government launched the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 on the 3rd of September last year.

The strategy adopts a whole-of-Government approach to advancing the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Individual Government Departments and State Agencies are responsible for planning and delivering the commitments that come under their remit across five key Pillars:

• Inclusive Learning and Education.

• Employment.

• Independent Living and Active Participation in Society.

• Wellbeing and Health.

• Transport and Mobility.

The Department of Social Protection is co-lead on Pillar 2 - Employment - with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, and has commitments under Pillar 5 - Transport and Mobility - and the Strategic Focus Networks section as well.

The First Programme Plan of Action 2025-2026 clearly sets out how the priority actions under each commitment will be delivered by various lead government departments and public bodies, the timeframe for delivery, and the success indicators by which performance will be measured.

It is the first of a total of three two-year Programme Plans of Action which will guide the Strategy’s implementation, ensuring dynamic, agile and effective delivery of all commitments and priority actions.

To ensure the commitments outlined in the Strategy and Programme Plans of Action are met, robust delivery and monitoring structures have been co-designed with stakeholders, providing for effective oversight and accountability throughout the lifetime of the Strategy. These structures, which include a Disabled Persons’ Organisation (DPO) Group, Disability Assembly and Pillar Groupings, have been established and continue to develop, ensuring that the voice of disabled people guides the implementation of the Strategy.

The publication of bi-annual reports outlining progress on commitments and actions as set out in the Programme Plans of Action is a key commitment in the Strategy. The first set of bi-annual reports were reviewed by the Delivery and Monitoring Committee, chaired by the Taoiseach, on 16 July and are published online.

At all stages, the views and opinions of disabled persons, their organisations, and other relevant stakeholders continue to be central to delivery.

My Department did not wait for the publication of the First Programme Plan of Actions 2025 - 2026 to start delivering on its commitments. Some of the Priority Actions have already been achieved or were provided for in Budget 2026 last year.

For example, the commitment to expand supports for disabled people seeking employment by doubling the number of Dedicated Disability Employment Advisors operating in Intreo offices to 62, and continuing to roll out the Employer Charter with a target of signing up 300 employers by end 2025 who engage proactively in offering employment supports to groups at risk of unemployment, including disabled people. These targets have been achieved.

Budget 2026 made provisions to deliver on the commitment in relation to the retention of secondary benefits where disabled people take up employment and move off a Department of Social Protection payment.

• People who move off Disability Allowance or Blind Pension into employment to retain their Fuel Allowance payment for up to five years, from September 2026.

• People getting Disability Allowance or Blind Pension who have children will be eligible for Back to Work Family Dividend when taking up employment and moving off those payments, from January 2026.

Budget 2026 also advanced the commitments in relation to the Wage Subsidy Scheme.

• Provision made to expand the wage subsidy to people who acquire a disability while in employment and to those who transfer from Invalidity Pension to Partial Capacity Benefit, and increasing the rates paid from April 2026.

The Strategy commits to establishing a Strategic Focus Network Summit on the Cost of Disability. Although led by my Department, it includes other Government departments in this cross-government endeavour, as well as disabled people and their advocates. Significant progress has been made on this commitment.

A public consultation process on how a cost of disability payment can best be delivered was launched on Friday, February 20th and ran for just over six weeks until Tuesday April 7th.

The over 1,100 submissions helped inform the agenda for the Strategic Focus Network Summit on the Cost of Disability, which I hosted in the Aviva Stadium on the 13th of May. It was attended by 150 people in person, with approximately the same number joining online.

The Summit was also attended by members of the Oireachtas together with senior Government Ministers including the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, and the Minister of State for Disability and the Minister of State at the Department of Transport. This attendance indicates that the delivery of a solution will involve a range of Departments and agencies. This whole of government approach is important as addressing these costs is not simply a matter of income supports alone. We know that improvements in the delivery of, and access to, key services are also needed.

The Summit and the submissions made through the consultation process will help inform the approach to be taken in delivering on the Programme for Government commitment to introducing a permanent annual Cost of Disability payment.

On 16 July, I presented a briefing paper on the Summit to the Strategy's Delivery and Monitoring Committee which is chaired by the Taoiseach, and attended by other Government Ministers as well as Disabled Person's Organisations and representatives of Civil Society Groups. In line with the Summits objective this paper sets out what we heard from disabled people and their advocates about the changes needed across government to address the cost of disability. This paper will be published in accessible formats as soon as possible.