The National Federation welcomes commitments made in Budget 2027 that recognise the current very significant levels of unmet need for supports for living options for people with disabilities. The allocation of 489 additional and enhanced support packages provides hope that a renewed focus can be placed on planned supports that enable people to access their rights set out in Article 19 of the UNCRPD “to live in the community, with choices equal to others”.
 
The current scale of unmet need for supports to live in the community requires a significant investment in a range of living options - to be available at the time when people need them, close to the person’s own community, and with sufficient time to facilitate transitions. The announcement of an additional €110.7m in funding into this area provides a welcome focus that we hope will support the development of planned supports, moving away from crisis responses. It will be important that Government supports enabling measures in relation to access to capital to ensure developments can be progressed in partnership and as quickly as possible to make as wide a range of choice as possible available to people with disabilities and their families. 
 
Whilst we welcome the additional provision of therapist posts in CDNT’s, we are concerned that there has not yet been an announcement of therapy posts in adult disability services. These has been a gap in investment in these essential supports over recent years.

It will be essential that pay awards are fully funded in 2027 for both Section 38 and Section 39 providers, to ensure that they can recruit and retain the staff essential to providing high quality supports.
 
We understand that further detail will be provided in the coming days and we look forward to understanding the broad scope of measures relevant to the provision of services and supports to people with intellectual disabilities and autism in Ireland. to the provision of services and supports to people with intellectual disabilities and autism in Ireland.