Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Becoming a family carer can happen at any stage in life. It comes about as a result of need. It is undertaken as a result of love. While need and love are the driving forces behind one family member undertaking to attend to the needs of another, the long-term reality of what is involved can prove to be daunting. Neither the need nor the love diminish as time moves on. Until people stand in the shoes of a family carer, they can never hope to fully understand the reality of what it entails.

Some 500,000 people in the country are caring for a family member, of which 10,000 live in Tipperary. They could be parents caring for a child with a serious illness or disability. They could be caring for an adult with complex needs. Perhaps they are looking after an older person. In some cases, they may be caring for multiple people. Either way, carers commit their lives to looking after the needs of family members who are unable to fully care for themselves. Attending to the needs of dependent people is without doubt one of the most fulfilling and worthy roles people can undertake, yet it is also one of the hardest. They seldom know for certain what each day will bring. The vast majority have no preparation or training for the role. Many have put their lives on hold to provide care for a loved one. It is a full-time responsibility, often both day and night. There is no start or finish time. There are no breaks and there is never any certainty as to what a day will hold. Without reliable backup, many cannot leave the home to work, shop or even enjoy any form of social activity. The role of family carers is 24-7. Even if they get a much-needed break, their minds are in a cycle of niggling worries.

Despite all this and more, the Government at some point in the past decided that carer's allowance should be means tested and that the income of another family member in the home can determine the payment carers receive for the incalculable contribution they make in caring for a family member. That their value would be weighed against the income of another person is outlandish, unfair, unjust, indefensible and downright wrong. I raised the issue of family carers directly with the Taoiseach in discussions a number of weeks ago and at Leaders' Questions last week.

I was told by the Minister for Social Protection that they have increased the income threshold for carers with effect from June. I welcome that. From that time a couple will be able to earn €900 per week and have €50,000 in savings yet still qualify for the full carer’s allowance. The reality and fact is that this is still a form of means testing. It continues to take the income of another family member into account when calculating the allowance paid to a family carer. It continues to undermine the invaluable work they do and this is still wrong.

Every family carer in this country saves the State an enormous amount of money. Their tireless work and total dedication save the Exchequer a staggering €20 billion per year. The newly established interdepartmental working group tasked with looking at the means testing of payments to family carers should look closely at this figure before it compiles a report because the facts speak for themselves. None of us knows what the future holds. Any one of us could require care at some time in the future. If we are lucky enough to have a family member willing to care for us to enable us to remain in our homes for as long as possible, I wonder what value we would place on that care. What would the work of that person be worth to us? The answer to that question is simple. It would be priceless.

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