Budget 2019 Press Release - DFI welcomes disability proofing of future budgets

The Disability Federation of Ireland, DFI, welcomes the €150 million increase to disability services along with €55 million for mental health announced in today’s budget.

We further welcome the commitment to disability proof future budgets. This has been a repeated ask from DFI over the years.

We have highlighted the need for substantial investment simply to get us back to where we were before 2009 and the cutbacks when disability budgets were slashed. We eagerly await spending details of the extra money to see how Budget 2019 can make a practical difference.

Since the economic recovery, the number of people with disabilities living in persistent poverty increased to 29%. The extra five euro a week for those on all social welfare payments, while welcome, will do nothing to address the extra cost of disability.

To reverse this upward trend and make good on the promise of equality in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UN CRPD, we need to see ambitious long term planning to address structural inequalities. Please see our Pre-Budget Submission for more: https://www.disability-federation.ie/about/publications/dfi-prebudget-submission-2019/full-text/

 “As it stands many people with disabilities are fully occupied just trying to access the health services they badly need. Every journey can be a battle to simply board a bus or train and only the lucky few find secure employment despite increased participation in education”, said Dr. Joanne McCarthy, Head of Policy and Research.

All government departments need to show how they will invest in services for people with disabilities in 2019 if we are to begin to realise the UN CRPD”, said Dr. McCarthy.
 

ENDS

For further information contact;  

DFI Communications Manager: Clare Cronin at 01-7080108 or 086 0277824, clarecronin@disability-federation.ie