Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The respite care grant has increased to €1,700. When it was first introduced, the rate of payment was only €250. The grant is paid to those who do not receive carer's allowance. Therefore, it constitutes a real recognition for these individuals. We could have cut the respite care grant and left the rate unchanged. However, this would have had an impact on a greater number of carers so we chose not to do so.

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