Richard O'Donoghue: Says Budget Cuts Cost Disabled Workers €1,404
Richard O'Donoghue addressed the minister and the chair about cuts to supports for people with disabilities, arguing the measures amount to a loss of €1,404 for affected individuals and that government choices are failing vulnerable groups. He cited named constituents, listed specific benefit reductions and called for those decisions to be reversed quickly.
Personal cases cited
Richard O'Donoghue described constituents Maurice Noonan and Elie Sheehy from Limerick, both wheelchair users and both in work, who are seeking basic access to buildings to live ordinary lives.
Breakdown of stated losses
He set out specific changes he said hit people with disabilities: the disability support grant removed - lost €400; living loan allowance removed - lost €200; fuel allowance reduced - down to €160; October double payment lost - €254; electricity credit removed - €250. He summarised the total as €1,404 before wider cost-of-living increases.
Tax changes and wider fiscal critique
He criticised the decision to reduce the USE charge without changing the tax base, saying that results in working people paying more tax. He also pointed to billions of overruns across departments and the HSE, arguing available funds are not reaching the most vulnerable.
Appeal for equality and urgent action
Richard O'Donoghue argued people with disabilities, whether working or not, want to be treated as ordinary citizens and to have equality in work and quality of life. He called on the minister to address the situation quickly and warned that both people with disabilities and the elderly are not being properly looked after, closing by thanking the deputy.
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Thank you, Chair. Minister, last year I had Maurice Noonan and Elie Sheehy up from Limerick. Both are wheelchair users. They were looking for the simplest of things, for access to buildings that they can have a normal life. Both of these people work. And then we look at the measures that you look at here. Disability support grant removed, lost 400 euros. Living loan allowance removed, lost 200 euros. Fuel allowance reduced, down to 160 euros. October double payment, lost 254 euros. Electricity credit removed, 250 euros. Total cost, 1,404 euros. Outside of, the cost of living increases. Then we look at the government, and this is for people with disabilities that work and that don't work. You reduce the USE charge. You never change the tax base. That means the people that are working are actually paying more tax as well. And that's everyone with your disability or not. So people pay more tax. But we can have overruns in our HSEs. In all the departments there are billions and billions of overruns. And you can't provide for the people that are most vulnerable. And people that I know that have disabilities that are working or not, they want to be looked at as ordinary people. But they want equal equality from a work perspective and from a quality of life perspective. That means if they go out, they want an equality. And you do this? That's not what the Irish people were ever about. We look after everyone. But we are not looking after people with disabilities. We are not looking after the elderly. So all our things that we have worked for for all our lives, it has been ignored by the government. And Minister, we need to make sure that this is addressed and addressed quickly. Thank you Deputy. Deputy Mayor.
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