Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As I have said previously, this is a crazy situation. The Department recognises it is responsible for speech and language therapy and it pays for assessments that it organises.

If, however, a family is concerned and they go, source it and pay for themselves, they are not reimbursed. That is a crazy situation that needs to change.

The situation of carers has been raised. The mother of this family, Ms Darmody, had to give up work - a paid job of €860 a week - to receive €200 in carer's allowance. Anybody who has children with autism or any sick child will know that it is a 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year job and that families taking a hit like that is not on. Something needs to be done. The carer's allowance needs to be looked at so that does not continue for this family or for any of the other 18,000 families that are caught up in the same situation.

We will forward the correspondence to the petition and ask for a reply. The Joint Committee on Autism has responded to us. We will see what happens there.

To make people aware, Family Carers Ireland is also asking for the means test to be abolished on the carer's allowance in cases such as this. They keep saying it drives families into poverty by reducing someone's income from in excess of €800 down to €200. It is a crazy situation. It does not allow for where you have to buy something for a sick child.

These are issues that we as a committee will keep following. We will keep fighting for some sort of consistency right across the board. I am aware the Darmody family has been up here in Leinster House on a regular basis fighting their case but also fighting on behalf of the other 18,000 families that are affected. It will come up again. We will keep an eye on it. We will keep doing as much as we can in that regard.

The next petition is No. 4 of 2023, "Remove third-language requirement for undergraduate courses in Irish universities, unless relevant to the course." This is from Mr. Daniel Culkin. The committee recommends that the correspondence from Mr. Jim Breslin, Secretary General, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science be forwarded to the petitioner for reply within 14 days. Do members have any views or is that agreed?