A local disability activist has expressed disappointment Budget 2025 fails to address the structural changes required to support disabled people in Clare to live independently.
Ann Marie Flanagan, co-founder of Equality Not Care, says it is time to prioritise rights, dignity, and autonomy for disabled people, rather than perpetuating a “narrative of dependency”.
The Budget introduced several measures aimed at supporting disabled people. These include once-off grants to help with additional costs associated with the rising costs of living, a €12 increase in the disability allowance, as well as other provisions such as fuel allowances and energy bills for those who are the named bill payer.
While these measures will certainly offer some relief, particularly for those facing the escalating cost of living, Ms Flanagan believes they fall short of addressing the broader and more systemic issues disabled people face in Ireland.
One of her key criticisms is that the government has once again failed to implement the recommendations of the Indecon cost of disability report commissioned by the government in 2021.
Based on detailed empirical research, the report estimated that the overall average annual costs of disability in Ireland range from €9,482 to €11,734 per annum.
Despite the report’s clear findings, this budget, again, did not introduce a non-means-tested cost of disability payment, leaving disabled people to bear a number of significant extra financial burdens.
“The failure to embed this critical support undermines efforts toward real equality, as disabled people continue to face disproportionately high living costs that are simply not accounted for in this budget.”
While the budget announced over €300 million for disability services, Ms Flanagan claimed there is no clear strategic plan behind this allocation.
The emphasis, she said continues to be placed on residential services, which suggests a continued focus on institutionalisation rather than supporting disabled people to live independently in the community and on an equal basis with others.
The first mention by Minister for Finance, Jack Chambers (FF) in relation to this funding was “residential places,” once again reinforcing the outdated view that disabled people are dependent on institutions rather than capable of thriving within our communities with the appropriate supports.
A critical policy issue at play is fiscal substitution, where the state uses public expenditure on disability services as a justification for not paying direct a cost-of-disability allowance to individuals.
This approach assumes that the money spent on public services offsets the financial costs that disabled people incur.
However, Ms Flanagan pointed out this policy has the effect of keeping disabled people in deprivation and isolation.
By deciding that public services are sufficient, the government denies disabled individuals the direct support needed for the actual additional costs faced due to impairment and systemic barriers.
“This fiscal policy perpetuates dependency, isolation, and poverty while ignoring the systemic barriers that contribute to the dependency approach for disabled people. It reinforces systemic ableism by treating disabled people as passive recipients of services, rather than empowering people with the means to make autonomous decisions.
“This approach is especially troubling when considered in light of Ireland’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The convention emphasises the right to independent living with the supports needed.”
Additionally, she expressed concern this budget does not tackle the systemic issues of homelessness and the continued institutionalisation of disabled people trapped in nursing homes and family homes.
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.