Mr. John Dunne:

Our point on universal basic income relates to the language of the artist scheme, which I mentioned earlier. I am paraphrasing but it says that we want carers to be free to provide this valuable function on behalf of society rather than having to worry about how they are going to make a living. The scheme is slightly different in that artists get a guaranteed income but are allowed engage in commercial activity on the basis that they pay 40% tax on what they earn from that activity from the first penny. There are things that would need to be tweaked in order to adapt that model to a carer model where people may wish to work outside the home for a small period of time, perhaps as much for their mental health as for their economic well-being. We had a battle on our hands and had to ask whether the Department really wanted carers back at work in terms of labour market activation. The current system relies on a means-tested income support that you do not get unless you are really poor as distinct from something that recognises that carers provide a service that society values and is willing to pay for.

With regard to foster care, believe it or not, it is not just that the foster carer of a child who is not theirs gets €600 a week compared to the €203 for carers, but that they also get priority access to services over families. I am not criticising foster parents. They are wonderful but the inequity between the two situations is quite staggering. We are calling this out to highlight that inequity. We want to raise family carers to that level rather than pull anyone else down.