Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Regional Group on bringing this motion forward this morning. I fully support it, particularly its call for the Government to establish a high-level officials group to scope out and develop a road-map for the delivery of a non-means-tested participation income for family carers.

Many of us have repeatedly called for greater levels of support for carers, even while accepting that a significant amount of Government funding is allocated. That being said, I make the comparison with the Government's acceptance of the principle around the universal roll-out of GP access cards. If the Government can accept the principle that everyone should have access to care at the most basic level, then I fail to see how it cannot also accept the principle that carers should have access to supports at the universal level given they provide highly complex, 24-7 levels of care to their loved ones. Some carers in my constituency of Laois-Offaly are caring for two members of their family. These carers deserve to be treated fairly, equally and with respect. The fact that carers save the health service billions of euro annually only serves to underscore the injustice of insisting all applicants remain subject to a vigorous means-tested assessment process.

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