Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for their very interesting presentation. Ms Doonan already answered one of the questions I intended to pose in the context of what our guests are seeking and their interaction with CAWT in recent times. I am of the view that the committee should take up the cudgels in the context of having carers included under CAWT because that would also provide some momentum regarding how cross-Border issues might be dealt with. Like the Chairman, I am a member of the North-South Interparliamentary Association and we will definitely raise the matter with that body in order to increase its profile.

I am of the view that carers fall between stools because there is a view that it is nice to keep it that way because their value to society does not need to be recognised and there is no need to take action in respect of them. The national accounts for the past year were published earlier today and, for the first time, an economic value has been ascribed to prostitution and drug dealing. Would there be any point in trying to estimate the value of carers in the context of the national accounts in order to raise the profile of carers and the work they do? One of the things our guests are seeking from the committee is for it to facilitate access to INTERREG funding for family carers. What do they mean by that? Are they seeking it for research or is it for actual supports, etc.?