Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

I thank the Minister for attending. He has been here for a considerable time and he is to be commended on that for it is often the case that Ministers of State attend for Ministers.

I will take up where the previous speaker left off on innovation and imaginative structures to be put in place to deal with a world which has changed dramatically since the introduction of the social welfare code in this country in 1953. Needs have changed unrecognisably. When one considers what was required of the State when social welfare was first realised, one realises what a mammoth task it has become and how great are the needs of people. Our recognition of those needs is not just commendable but also demands we do something to address them.

The Minister's colleague in his neighbouring constituency, Deputy O'Connor, has heaped praise on the Minister for increasing the period for which carer's benefit is granted from 15 months to two years. Giving someone carer's benefit for just two years is a terrible injustice. Since these people are on benefit, one knows they gave up jobs to look after others in need of 24-hour care. The notion that they would fall out of benefit because they made that sacrifice is unjustifiable, whether it is for 15 months, the 390-day norm in the social welfare benefits system, or two years. It is indefensible that someone should fall out of benefit because of having done a selfless thing.

Such a person has made a huge sacrifice by giving up a job to do something which perhaps the person being cared for wanted that person to do. It may be that the carer was the only person allowed by the carer to do the job. That is often the case. It could also be that the carer thought the care provided by the State was not sufficient, recognised that the person needed 24-hour care, and therefore gave up his or her job to provide the care. Such carers have straight away reduced their income dramatically. They have virtually given up their social life and are on call on a 24-hour basis.

I know that after a period a carer can accept up to ten hours' work on a social basis and so on. Nevertheless, the sacrifice is clearly recognisable and is a selfless act. After two years, however, the person falls out of benefit and no longer qualifies. If that person were no longer needed as a carer, he or she would have to begin a contribution record again. That needs to be examined, if only on the basis of such carers returning to work and perhaps being reinstated to the point they had reached when they gave up jobs to become carers. One should not necessarily continue getting the benefit while out of work, but one should get it on return to work or when a person comes to qualify for what will now be called the State pension, it would automatically be considered on a contributory pension basis no matter what lapse occurs.

The sacrifice and selfless act must be recognised, as well as the fact that the State would probably not have provided the level of care involved. That recognition would be revolutionary, and since Deputy O'Connor recognises the Minister as a well known revolutionary, it would be no great feat for him to undertake. I wonder if there is any room for socialists in the world because Fianna Fáil appears to have them all if one were to take the word of its backbenchers.

I want to talk about the means test for the carer's allowance. It always astonishes me that so few people claim or draw carer's allowance. It is not of the magnitude we expect when we look at the figures and is quite a small number. Now that we all recognise the crisis in the care of the elderly, we must take a serious look at abolishing the means test for carer's allowance.

When the rainbow coalition was in Government, it began by doubling child benefit as a recognition of and a first step in eliminating child poverty, although we are not quite there yet. Nevertheless, an indication or first step from the Minister on the carer's allowance would be very important. A crisis is looming and it will not be a surprise because we knew the demographics ten years ago. They have changed slightly because of the economic success of the country and because of immigration but the demographics exist and we all know we face a crisis in care of the elderly. We must make it easier for families to care for people at home.

I looked yesterday at a report published by the independent living advisory group, which reports to the Government. All of its findings show that people with disabilities want to live independently. From looking at reports on the elderly going back ten or 20 years, it is clear they want to live in their homes and communities. That is the best possible outcome and we need to facilitate it. The Department of Health and Children has a different job but the job of the Department of Social and Family Affairs is to facilitate people who live on support payments from the State. We need to think hard about that.

I hope the Minister will correct me but a particular item is not in this Bill. I may have missed it.

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