Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)

The Minister knows the Labour Party position. We are unequivocally committed to abolishing the means test for carers. There are thousands of people in the country with a job that has a mandatory 365 days a year contract, with no leave, holidays or bonus. Who are these people? They are carers who provide unpaid help for a family member or friend with a disability. Almost half of these carers have no paid employment and one third of them give more than 43 hours of unpaid time per week. Less than one fifth receive financial assistance from the State for their invaluable and tireless work.

The facts speak for themselves. There are only 150,000 carers in Ireland. The recent report by the National Economic and Social Forum indicates that unpaid care saves the Exchequer up to €2 billion every year. Carers are saving the State a vast amount that would arise if those people needed institutional care, without considering the capital expenditure needed to build such facilities. It is a no-brainer.

How much money is spent by the Department administering the means test? Is it not an expensive process? Savings from the abolition of the means test would be offset against the cost of a commitment the Labour Party would give to abolish the means test for carers. Abolishing the means test is a clear way of recognising the invaluable role of carers in our community and supporting them.

A post office at Park Road, Killarney, closed after Christmas. Pensioner, carer and invalidity books were taken when presented at the New Street post office and people were advised that the books would be returned the following week. Today, most of the pension books are not available and people are being sent to community welfare officers, who are not aware that all these people will be arriving. The staff at the post office have had no communication from the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

What communication has the Department of Social and Family Affairs had with the post office staff? When will the situation be clarified for social welfare recipients? Have the community welfare officers been given details of the people who will approach them for assistance? The Minister may not have the answer immediately but it is important that the Department of Social and Family Affairs deals with this in its usual humane, compassionate way.

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