Dr Mel Cousins of the School of Social Work and Social Policy, together with the ESRI and the Disabled Persons Organisations (DPO) Network were invited to make presentations to the Oireachtas on an Adequate Standard of Living for Persons with Disabilities (26 November 2026). The ESRI presented their research on the costs of disability which indicate that disabled people have disability costs between €488 and €555 per week on average and that the poverty rate for disabled people would be significantly higher if these costs were taken into account (from 25% to between 65% and 75%). The representatives of the DPO Network outlined the practical difficulties faced by disabled people in their everyday lives. Dr. Cousins presented some policy options for addressing these costs based on international experience in countries such as Australia and the UK.

The meeting involved a joint meeting of the Committee on Social Protection (chaired by John Paul O’Shea TD) and the Committee on Disability Matters (chaired by Maurice Quinlivan YD) and was very well attended by TDs and Senators leading to an extensive question and answer section on these key issues.