Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

It should be noted the number of self-employed people who will lose their entitlements because they do not know about this scheme which allows them to make a yearly voluntary contribution to the State. The Department should advise people of the existence of this scheme and let them know that if they make contributions as self-employed people and then enter full-time employment as PAYE workers, they can hold on to their entitlements to a pension by means of this scheme.

I, like Deputy Penrose, acknowledge that the Minister has done a fairly good job in respect of increasing benefits for the numbers of people who give up work to look after loved ones. He has raised the period for which carer's benefit is payable from 15 months to two years, which is welcome. The increase in the number of hours that full-time carers can work outside the home from ten to 15 hours is another welcome development. The Minister has not done too badly in respect of carers, although a few anomalies still exist.

I will write to the Minister and his officials about a case involving a person in my constituency who gave up work in the US and returned to this country to look after loved ones but was refused the carer's allowance because they had worked outside the State. However, this person was an Irish citizen, who was born and reared in this country, and should have been considered for the carer's allowance. The Minister and his officials might examine this case. As Deputy Penrose noted, these cases are not numerous. One will only encounter the odd exceptional case. It is terrible that someone such as my constituent would return home to look after a loved one and find that he or she is denied the carer's allowance. I will write to the Minister who might take this case up with his Department to see if anything can be done for this individual.

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