Cost of Disability Consultation
The Government has launched a consultation on the Cost of Disability, which will help shape a new support payment.
Your voice can help inform this work.
You can find full details and submit your response here
We encourage members of the Autistic community to engage with this consultation and share their experiences of the additional costs you experience, so that Autistic voices help shape future policy. The deadline for responses is 7th April.
Guidance Note for the Public Consultation on the Cost of Disability
How to make a submission
Where to send your submission
What will happen to the information in my submission?
How we keep your information private
Template with suggested questions
Template with space for answers
The Department of Social Protection is running a public consultation on the Cost of Disability until 5pm Tuesday 7 April 2026.
We invite Disabled people, their families and carers, Disability organisations and Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs/DPROs) and the wider public to give their views by making a submission.
If you are making a written submission, please use the templates on page 6 and page 12 to guide you. The templates are only a guide. You can submit your response in the format that best suits you. You may answer all or some of the questions. You can also provide additional information or suggestions that you feel are not covered by the questions asked.
How to make a submission
If you would like to write a submission, please read the privacy information and guidance document below. You can use the templates to guide you when making your submission.
The templates are only a guide. You can submit your response in the format that best suits you. You may answer all or some of the questions.
If a written submission is not accessible to you, you can do one of the following:
- Record a video, including an ISL video, and email it as an attachment to IDCPolicyConsultation@welfare.ie
- Call the consultation team on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10am–12pm or 2pm–4pm by calling 0818 607 780
You can send your submission to the post or email address below. Please put “COD Consultation” in the email subject line.
Please include:
- Your contact details
- Whether you are contributing as an individual or organisation
- If you are an individual, whether you have lived experience of disability
- If you are an organisation, whether your submission is from a Disabled Persons Organisation
Where to send your submission
Cost of Disability Consultation
Disability and Carers Policy Unit
Floor 5, Áras Mhic Dhiarmada
Store Street
Dublin 1, D01 WY03
Email: DCPolicyConsultation@welfare.ie
Phone: 0818 607 780
What will happen to the information in my submission?
The Department of Social Protection will review all submissions received.
The feedback will be used to:
- Inform the Strategic Focus Network Summit
- Design and develop a new Cost of Disability payment
- Identify ways that Government Departments and Agencies can reduce the cost of disability in the future
A report summarising the consultation findings will be published on gov.ie.
How we keep your information private
This is a public consultation and the Freedom of Information Act 2014 applies. Your response may be published by the Department of Social Protection in full.
To protect your privacy, please do not include information that is:
- Personal
- Commercially sensitive
- Information you would not want to be made public
If commercially sensitive information is included, please clearly identify it and explain why it should not be published.
Submissions may be released under Freedom of Information requests. In such cases the Department may consult with you before releasing information.
The submissions will be retained until the review process is complete and any accepted recommendations have been implemented.
Relevant legislation includes:
- Freedom of Information Act
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Data Protection Act 2018
Template with Suggested Questions
1. Purpose of the payment
Are there specific additional costs that should be covered by a Cost of Disability payment?
Disabled people often face extra costs in areas such as transport, healthcare, medicines, education, energy (heating and lighting) and housing.
These costs may be addressed through services, cash payments, or a combination of both.
When responding, you may wish to consider:
- Costs not currently covered by services or supports
- Costs that should be addressed through expanded services
- Costs that should be covered by a cash payment
2. Eligibility
How should eligibility for a Cost of Disability payment be decided?
Some disabled people already receive welfare supports while others do not.
Questions to consider include:
- Should the payment be limited to people already receiving welfare?
- Should it be available to a wider group?
- How should eligibility be verified?
3. Payment amount
How should the payment amount be determined?
The Government has limited resources and must decide whether to:
- Provide smaller payments to a larger group
- Provide larger payments to a smaller group
Other considerations include:
- Whether payments should vary depending on disability-related costs
- Whether the payment should be universal or means-tested
4. How the payment should work
Please describe how the payment should be implemented.
Possible options include:
- A top-up to an existing welfare payment
- An additional tax credit
- A new standalone payment
The payment could be made weekly, monthly or annually.
Strategic Focus Network Summit
Question 1: What issues would you like to see discussed at the Summit?
Question 2: What format should the Summit take?
Template with space for answers
Respondents may use the template questions to structure their submission.
Space is provided in the original document for respondents to write their answers under each question.