Seán Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)

The people entitled to respite care grant are carers who fall within the rules irrespective of means. They must care for a particular person who needs care on a full-time basis apart from a certain number of hours that they are entitled to work. Last year more then 36,000 people took up the respite care grant. I would like the Deputies to trumpet the availability of this grant because many carers do not realise they are entitled to it. We should tell them about it. I hope that this year the number will increase substantially. Deputy Lynch suggested that we abolish the means test for the carer's allowance. While we would all love to do so, there is not an unending pot of gold. There must be priorities. The income for carers has been increased substantially to €580 for a couple and that is welcome.

One of the main planks of this budget is to encourage people to return to work. That encouragement exists through many of the items I mentioned. It is backed up by the availability of child care places. Over several years more than 40,000 child care places were made available through the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Funding is available for a further 50,000 places bringing the total to 91,000 places by 2010. It is important that funding be put in place not only to increase places but for resources, buildings and improvements and, more importantly, for the training of child care workers to bring the standard up to a significant level. Childminders' income up to €10,000 is disregarded for income tax purposes but not for PRSI purposes. This ensures that people, mainly women, who mind children can have all the social security benefits enjoyed by other workers, such as pension and health benefits. I commend the Minister for Social and Family Affairs on putting that in place. I am delighted to speak on a Bill that is positive and that has so much in it for the people. Everyone must agree that we should fully support it.

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