Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

By moving this motion, we want to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of half a million carers around this country and give them some small recognition for the valuable work that they are doing by replacing the current system with a non-means-tested scheme for the carer's allowance focusing solely on care needs.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with the mother of a child called Willow. Willow has a life-limiting condition and for the first two weeks after her birth, her parents were planning her funeral. However, last September Willow started school. This milestone was only achieved due to the round-the-clock care provided by her mother, who sacrificed her successful career to become Willow's full-time carer. Despite Willow starting school, her mother had to return to school as well because Willow was being denied the necessary support to manage independently in the school setting. Willow's mother receives €160 a week for this 24-7 care, which she provides 365 days a year. Willow also has a brother for whom his mother is receiving domiciliary care allowance. However, Willow's mother is afraid to apply for the top-up payment for caring for a second person because she fears that the existing €150 a week will be reduced and that is money that she needs to access vital supports for Willow. This is the chilling effect that the means assessment of the carer's allowance is having on carers around the country. People who should be publicly rewarded for the work that they are doing are afraid to apply for what they should be entitled to because of the fear of the consequences.

Throughout my years in this House, I have always dreaded the phone call from a family carer who receives a review form in the post. I must, first, calm them down and allay their fear that a small amount of money that they depend on to pay for the extra heat, the extra transport costs, the electricity costs and the loan repayments for housing adaptations will be cut. On the fear of being pushed beyond breaking point, this review letter dropping inside the front door brings them to the edge of that threshold and is far worse than a court summons. No carer in this country should live in fear of a means test because of the carer's allowance structure as it currently stands, and of dealing with the dread every day of that letter coming through the post. We want to see that fear abolished.

On 18 May 2022, Ms Anna Budayova, Ms Niamh Ryan and Mr. Damien Douglas appeared before the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands. They gave us powerful evidence about the challenges they are facing on a daily basis in providing full-time care for their disabled children. They spoke about the impact that the carer's allowance means test is having on them, on their families and on their caring roles. We need to work towards a financial system for families and carers that is designed around the care provided, not the bank account balance of the carer's spouse. The current eligibility test for this payment is little more than a mean test denying people financial assistance to support them in providing vital services to our society. All three parents spoke about how the reduced rate of means-tested carer's allowance that they receive is so essential for them to manage financially. The current system of means-testing the carer's allowance is unfair as it only considers income and not outgoings. Outgoings such as mortgage, loans for housing adaptations, wheelchair-accessible vans, energy costs and medical equipment that are not considered presently under the means test at a very minimum should be given recognition.

The overall potential number of full-time carers who could benefit from the change we are proposing is approximately 27,000. They are the people who are not in receipt of a payment at present, other than the carer's support grant. It is disingenuous to talk about a cost of over €650 million. The Parliamentary Budget Office has liberally put this at €375 million. That does not take into account the significant administration costs involved in running the carer's allowance system at present and, therefore, we believe that this cost is nearer to €300 million. It can benefit 27,000 carers around the country but, more than that, it can give recognition and an acknowledgement to half a million carers around the country that what they are doing on a daily basis is valued and respected by the State.

I commend the motion to the House.

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