Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the family carers who are in the Public Gallery. Some are from my own county, such as Sophie Hannon, Andrew Rooney of Family Carers Ireland, Councillor Richard Molloy, who is manager of south Tipperary carers, and their supporters and friends, including John Hackett, Dennis Holland and Joan Looby. Indeed, Joan recently lost her sister, Tina, for whom she cared so lovingly, and her late mother and father and Auntie Kit. The group there exemplifies what carers do. The carers association does tremendous work on a national basis but so do the carers in every house and home, some of whom are child carers or young people caring for their parents, who should not be. They need to be recognised and supported. I thank the Regional Group for bringing this motion. I support it.

I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, well in her new office. She is here as well as the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. However, I am disappointed there is no sign of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, who harangued and harassed the carers right through the referendum with phone calls and pressure to get out and sell a phoney article they were putting in the Constitution. She has not the good grace to show up here today to listen to the motion and listen to what happened. They got that so wrong. We saw what the then Taoiseach thought of the carers when a week before the vote he said the family was and should be the primary carer. We know where the Government's commitments lie. They are a long way from supporting the ordinary people who give of their valuable time so selflessly, 24-7. We need recognition for them. This motion should be adopted. I am not going to go into the different aspects of it. It should be adopted wholeheartedly. As I said, did the Government learn anything from that referendum? We are in the same situation now with regard to the migration pact. Níl sibh ag éisteacht.

Denis Holland is going on the tour of Leinster House shortly. When he is in the lovely town hall in Clonmel at the invitation of the mayor, he gives a tour to everybody which is very professional, so well done.

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