A new cost-of-disability payment should be in place by next year's budget, the new disabilities minister has said. She said the payment was not going to happen overnight because the practicalities of it had to be teased out. "We'll be recruiting over 1,000 people this coming year, and we'll be recruiting 150 people to work in our CDNT teams. We also have a new bursary programme where we're financially supporting students who then commit to working in our CDNT teams on graduation." Ms Higgins said that those 150 CDNT hires would be prioritised in the most under-staffed areas.

Source: Irish Examiner January 05, 2026 02:30 UTC