The HSE has “sincerely apologised” after sending a letter to the mother of an adult child with an intellectual disability warning her of her “legal obligation” to support her daughter financially “indefinitely”. A HSE spokesperson said the regional manager who wrote the letter “did not intend to cause any upset”. However, they added that, pending such a housing application, “you should be aware there is a legal obligation for parents to support their child financially if the child is dependent”. “This applies to all children to age 18 and to 23 if in education, but indefinitely if the child has a disability. The mother, a constituent of Taoiseach Micheál Martin, told the Irish Examiner the letter was “very threatening” and she felt her daughter had been “weaponised” by the HSE.

Source: Irish Examiner February 19, 2026 10:00 UTC