Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the name change that is being brought about. I also welcome the fact that the Government saw the light and reversed the cut that it imposed.

The name change is an admission of what we knew, that the respite care grant was not used for respite by the vast majority of carers but was used for other supports such as buying equipment, paying for car insurance, fuel and so forth. We have had that debate. This is a welcome change in the budget. The Government has seen the light and has reversed a cut that was not going to bring in the billions that were required but that targeted those in society who in some cases have given up full-time work to care for loved ones and, incidentally, saved the State money. Often they were unappreciated to a degree, so it is a welcome change.

I acknowledge changes that are positive and the carers will welcome this. In particular, the name change is a reflection of what the payment was used for in the first instance. In some cases, it is payment for services that should have been delivered by the State. For example, many people have told me recently that they have used the payment because they have not been able to access the motorised transport grant or the mobility allowance, which is not in this legislation. In that regard, representatives of the Department of Health appeared before the Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions and they appeared to suggest that it will be a number of months, if not years, before we see the full outline of a scheme to replace that, which affects many of the people who would be cared for and who would benefit from this.