COMMITTED – Taoiseach to act on issues raised by ‘Before We Die’

Responding to Dáil questions on February 17 the Taoiseach said:

“I met with the Before We Die campaign group and we had a very good discussion. These are very serious issues. There needs to be stronger co-ordination between local authorities, section 39 bodies and Government Departments, particularly the Department of housing and the Department of disability.

He added, “I am placing it on the agenda of the next Cabinet subcommittee meeting with a view to creating a structure that will work to support families in this situation. There are a lot of issues we have to work through. I do not have the length of time to go through it all here, but suffice to say it is not enough. The HSE will say it looks after moderate to severe disabilities. There has to be a continuum of care, of sheltered housing and of supported housing, depending on the needs of a given individual.”

“Between the local authorities, Government and the approved housing bodies, we should be able to create a structure that is proactively supporting families in this situation,” he said.

Capital funding announced by ministers in February

On February 24, Norma Foley, Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality, and Emer Higgins, Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, announced €43 million in ring-fenced capital funding to support Community Based Specialist Disability Services in 2026.

Minister Foley said, “This represents a substantial increase of €16 million compared with 2025 and demonstrates the Government’s firm commitment to support and expand disability services.”

The funding will go towards residential, respite, day and children’s services and to neuro-rehabilitation.

Two days later, on February 26, at an Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters, Minister of State Higgins pointed out that the Department’s broader five-year strategy to 2030 will, among other things, help to address “the increased cost of service provision, pay cost pressures, capacity limitations and service provider sustainability.”

“It is vital that we provide stability for a sector that has been operating under sustained cost pressures and increasing demand for services. We also need to make sure that this year’s significant budget allocation of nearly €4 billion is managed as effectively and efficiently as possible,” she said.

“With regard to residential services, there will be a focus on delivering more planned places this year and beyond to move away from a crisis-driven, unplanned response in residential services.

“As well as expanding services, the Department will deliver a new vision and strategy for the progressive improvement of specialist disability services in Ireland, which will be fully aligned to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the principles of long-term financial and operational sustainability,” she said.

Replying to a question by Liam Quaide, TD, on behalf of service providers who say that multi-annual funding is pivotal for them to be able to plan rather than simply react to a crisis, Minister Higgins said: “The Department of Health is currently under review when it comes to multi-annual funding.”

The full debate can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/CommDisabFeb25-2026