Paul Murphy condemns government cuts hitting disabled people
Paul Murphy criticised recent budget measures for cutting supports for disabled people, describing them as "horrific, cruel" and saying they force people to choose between heating and feeding their children. He demanded an emergency winter payment and a permanent cost-of-disability support rather than waiting for the next budget.
Detailed tally of cuts
The speaker set out the specific cuts affecting disabled people, listing a 400 euro cut to the disability support grant, a 200 euro cut to the living alone allowance lump sum, a 160 euro net loss from reduced fuel allowance, a 254 euro October double payment reduction and 250 euros less in electricity credits - a total loss of 1,404 euros.
Human impact and poverty figures
Murphy relayed testimony that people are forced into impossible choices and cited official figures: the cost of having a disability rose from over 10,000 euros in 2021 to around 15,000 euros today. He said the at-risk-of-poverty rate is 32.5% but rises to between 65% and 76% when the cost of disability is added, and that 39% of those unable to work due to disability live in enforced deprivation. He also said Ireland has the worst employment rates for disabled people in the EU.
Contrast with corporate tax concessions
He contrasted the cuts with a meeting between Google and the Minister for Finance, saying Google asked for a 5% increase in the R&D tax credit - from 330% to 35% - and received what he called a 300 million euro public concession. He argued that the sums given to corporations would more than cover an emergency winter disability payment.
Calls for action and mobilisation
Murphy praised disability organisations for protests outside the Dáil on 9 December despite a storm and urged building a wider movement with disabled people at its centre. He called on the government to stop cuts targeting disabled people, to provide an immediate emergency winter payment and to implement a permanent, decent cost-of-disability support as included in his party's repeated budget proposals, saying people "cannot wait."
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My life is a balance between heating my home or feeding my children. That's not exaggeration, that's not scaremongering, they're the precise words. I took them down when she was saying them at the AV room briefing of a disabled woman who is facing the impact of these horrific, cruel cuts from the government. And to attempt to shame the opposition for speaking this truth, this is the reality, to say that we're scaremongering in some way is very poor form by the government. This is the lives that people are living. I want to thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this very, very important motion. I don't want to thank the government for bringing forward their shameful counter-motion. Government likes to talk a lot about targeting supports. That's their big kind of talking point on this issue. Well, they're targeting, all right. The government, incredibly, during the time when they have a significant budget surplus, has targeted disabled people. No question about that. Targeted disabled people for particularly cruel cuts. We know that the budget made almost everybody worse off, incredibly. If you weren't owning a big fast food restaurant, or didn't develop a bunch of apartments, weren't a big landlord, the budget basically made you worse off. But the budget made the poorest even more worse off, and the budget made disabled people the most worse off. It's been said again and again and again, but it can't be said too many times. The disability support grant cut by 400 euros. The living alone allowance, lump sum of 200 euros being cut. The fuel allowance being reduced for disabled people, a net loss of 160. The October double payment of 254 euros, and the electricity credits of 250 euros. The total value of cuts for disabled people, 1,404 euros. And that is utterly, utterly shameful. It really is. It's worth noting, and I always try and make this point when we're talking about this issue, that in the same budget where the government took such a cruel approach to disabled people, Google walked in the front door of the Department of Finance, had a meeting with the Minister for Finance, said we want an extension, we want the R&D tax credit to be increased by 5%, from 330% to 35%. What did the government say? They said, yeah, no problem. There you go, 300 million euros from the public to Google, when it would cost less than that to implement what is asked for here, an emergency winter disability payment for those people who have been affected by these awful cuts. We know, and the government knows, that the cost of having a disability in this country back in 2021 was over 10,000 euros. Today, it is around 15,000 euros. We know that the official at-risk of poverty rates are 32.5%, but when you add in the cost of disability, you're up the risk of poverty between 65 and 76%. We know that 39% of those who are unable to work due to disability are living in enforced deprivation, which is really quite grinding poverty. We know we have the worst rates of employment of disabled people of any country in the European Union. It's excellent, it's been inspiring to see the Disability Federation of Ireland, the Irish Wheelchair Association and Access for All working together to put this issue on the agenda and put real pressure on the government. On 9th December, they were outside the Dáil, despite a storm, to protest this government's cuts. They said then that the government is forcing them into a choice of heating or eating. They warned then that people could be in an absolutely desperate situation and people could die as a consequence. Did the government listen? No, they did not. It's why we need to build that movement even further. Disabled people need to be at the centre of that movement, fighting for an affordable Ireland. We need to be on the streets, supporting disabled people, and demanding budget measures that don't enrich the already rich, the big corporations, but instead give ordinary people a break. The very, very minimum of what's needed is to say to the government, stop your attacks on disabled people. Stop forcing disabled people even deeper into poverty. Give an emergency winter payment now to combat the hardship disabled people are facing today. After that, yes, implement a permanent, decent cost of disability support payment, as we have included in our budgets for multiple years in a row. The people, they cannot wait. That's what the government is saying to them. Wait until the next budget. Don't worry, we'll deal with it then. They cannot wait. The cuts have been implemented now. The cost of living crisis is now. They need support right now. Thank you, Deputy Murphy.
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