Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to make a brief comment on that. The vast majority of carers do not get the carer's allowance. It is a small proportion of them to begin with and you only get it if the person needs full-time care. The system as it is constructed is such that only a small proportion of carers get it. In that context, not having a means test is a reasonable ask. It would be a different thing if everybody who self-identified as a carer could say there should not be a means test but that is not how the system works. The witnesses are correct that this is something we should ask for because it is already restricted when it comes to numbers. I fully support what was said about special schools. They should be mandatory and parents should not be begging and asking. As was said, they are fracturing relationships with schools and causing difficulty. Perhaps this committee can do something about it but I thank the witnesses for that.