Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Dillon. I have questions, some of which have been covered. I was going to raise the issue of the pension today. I know it is more of a social welfare issue. It also applies to carers. Once people are in receipt of an allowance payment, they fall outside this. Maybe there should be an option for people to opt in or out. I have come across it in a different context. People who may have been caring for a number of years, contract an illness and then do not qualify for the invalidity pension because they have been caring. I know that is not foster care but it is a similar scenario. It might encourage people if they knew that they could opt into something. Will the witnesses speak on relative care and how we might encourage that?

While my other question might seem basic, who can actually become a foster parent? My experience is that people think they are not qualified or cannot do it, or they might think they have to have a traditional two-parent family with 2.5 children, when as far as I am aware, many people who are parenting alone are also foster parents, as are people who are working outside the home. Many people think foster parents have to be available at home all the time. Will the witnesses clarify that, while we have the chance, to encourage people to come forward to foster? I am conscious that this is a public meeting. If people are watching who want to get involved, Tusla could use this opportunity to tell them how to go about it.