Mairead Kenny: The Budget should be about more than numbers. It should be about people and the pressures they are facing every day and reducing inequalities in Irish society. Mairead Kenny, Politics & More Podcast[2]. I’m here on budget day in Buswell's Hotel[3] recording reactions to the Irish Budget 2027 new cost of disability payment.
Mairead Kenny: Here’s The Minister for Social Protection (Dara Callaery) announcing the new ‘cost of disability’ payment.
Minister Dara Callaery TD [5]: I'm extremely proud as Minister of Social Protection, to be introducing Ireland's first ever permanent cost of disability payment in 2027. I'm making a start with the €500 of disability payment in 2027. That payment will be paid in a lump sum as we begin our journey of designing what the permanent payment will continue to look like.
Mairead Kenny: Here’s Colm on the new cost of Disability payment. Colm any views on Budget 2027?
COLM FLOOD, Former Election Candidate [4]: I do welcome the fact that the government recognised the additional cost of disability, but that recognition is not being matched by any meaningful, ongoing financial support, especially support recommended by the people who are working with disability regularly. As someone who lives with a disability and relies on disability allowance myself, I welcome the additional support that the government has proposed in budget 2027. But let's be honest here the budget doesn't go far enough. We continue to look at the measures taken by the government, which is a €10-euro weekly increase in the disability allowance, along with a €500 cost of disability payment. This support amounts up to about €1,020 euros per year extra to people with disability allowance
Continued in the Transcript.
[1] 06 October 2026, Government Ireland. Your guide to Budget 2027 at https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-public-expenditure-infrastructure-public-service-reform-and-digitalisation/publications/your-guide-to-budget-2027/
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-finance/campaigns/budget/
Budget Guide at https://assets.gov.ie/static/docents/4131c603/BIB2027_Online_Interactive_Version_Final_V2.pdf
RTE Budget At a glance: Key takeaways from Budget 2027 at https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/1006/1594297-at-a-glance-key-points-from-budget-2027/
[2] Politics & More podcast at https://politicsmore.podview.com/
Podcast series independently created, recorded, edited and produced by Mairead Kenny, https://maireadkenny.ie/ MK MEDIA XO.
[3] Buswells Hotel Dublin at https://www.buswells.ie/en/
[4] Colm Flood Instagram colmfortd https://www.instagram.com/colmfortd/ Politician, HSE Ambassador for Dementia |
Independent Candidate for Bray, Wicklow + Dublin Community Support worker 1916|2016 Medal recipient| Irish Republican.
Colm Flood Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Colm-Flood-for-Bray-West-61558535810749/
https://www.thejournal.ie/section/by26/candidate/2154/colm-flood/
[5] Minister Dara Callaery TD, Budget full update Cost of Disability payment at https://www.tiktok.com/@daracalleary/video/7693617913781259522
The Budget should be about more than numbers. It should be about people and the pressures they are facing every day and reducing inequalities in Irish society.
Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Politics & More podcast at https://politicsmore.podview.com/
Podcast series independently created, recorded, edited and produced by Mairead Kenny, https://maireadkenny.ie/ MK MEDIA XO.
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