Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House to discuss this matter. I thank the Labour Party for using its time to bring forward this very important motion. I thank the people in the Gallery and those who are tuned in.

We have had a difficult few days. We had a lot of discussion on disabilities. Last night, during discussion of Senator Clonan's Private Members' Bill, we had a very frank and honest exchange. People came to this House with certain views but then left with a different position as regards how they had intended to vote when they came in. Subsequently, the Government did not provide tellers and no division was held. We had a good debate last night on Senator Clonan's Bill. It is all documented and on the record of the House. It is also the background to this important debate because we are covering many of the same issues again today.

I thank Senator Ardagh. It is never easy to go public in this forum and she has done so. The Senator is a great advocate for people with disabilities. She talks very much about her experience and shares and uses that. She is of great assistance and I thank her for that. It is a courageous thing to do and not easy. I have had to do it myself on a number of issues. Senator Clonan did it last night. Members of this House come from very different backgrounds and have unique experiences. We have all experienced different things in life and we bring them to the table in here. Senator Ardagh leaves us with a powerful and moving message. Senator Wall read out an extract from a very moving letter which touched on personal experience. When people talk about personal experience it makes the case even stronger and more real.

I do not doubt for one moment the Minister's commitment to the disability sector as regards social welfare and supports. She is an exemplary Minister and I am not just saying that. We do not always agree on things but she is a reforming Minister who is fiercely committed and I acknowledge that point.

I thank Family Carers Ireland. It has done amazing work and its members are great advocates. It has made a pre-budget submission. I know the Minister is not in a position to talk about the budgetary arrangements into which the Government may or may not enter. There are many people asking for supports. There are many worthy causes for which financial, soft and alternative supports are being sought. I recognise that but I ask the Minister to do her best, as I know she will, in making a very strong case for the family carers of Ireland.

We all know that carers carry out Trojan work looking after their loved ones. They so in their homes, often with little help, support or acknowledgement from the State. As we have seen from the pre-budget submission documentation it has sent us, Family Carers Ireland estimates that carers save the State approximately €20 billion. That is a very substantial amount of money. It is clear that some parts of the Government undervalue the vital care work carers undertake. The State now has money. We hear every day about the amount of money in our coffers. There is a challenge here. We know from experience and from what carers tell us that they have to rely on family members for financial support in order that they can stay at home and care for their loved ones. We need to ask a question, one that is central to this debate. Who is caring for the carers? Who is supporting the carers in addressing all their complex needs, such as physical exhaustion? They are worn out campaigning, lobbying, demanding and advocating for what they are entitled to receive and which they should at least be able to expect in a decent democracy. The question of who is caring for the carers is central to all of this.

It is important we put sufficient supports in place. Too many people juggle paid employment to care for people. Much of this work is undertaken silently but that is love.When our closest and loved ones need our support, we are there for them and we do not quantify that in finances. We want to help and support them, and many neighbours who are not family also support, row in with the community and give the help that is needed.

The Minister is very familiar with rural communities and agriculture. She is steeped in it and lives in that community. Many rural people in this country live in further isolation. They need help and the support of a carer. There are rural and isolated, which compounds their difficulties. I ask that we remember them in how we can assist those people too. There is no hierarchy of disadvantage or of who should or should not be entitled to the maximum. I ask the Minister to bear that in mind. I know too many rural people, especially single ones, in our agricultural communities who are desperate for support and do not want to beg and go with a bowl asking for support.

I thank the Labour Party Senators for this important motion and for their campaign. They have worked hard on it. The party is calling for a fundamental rethink of the carer's allowance for budget 2024, and I fully support its endeavours in this regard. I do not doubt the Minister’s commitment, but the allowance is so important.

Finally, I again thank my colleague Senator Ardagh for sharing her personal experience and being such a strong advocate. It is not easy to do, but it makes it more powerful and drives this need, as Senator Clonan did last night. We have seen light begin to come into these issues.