Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I agree it is timely to consider fundamentally the role of the carer, and the strategy will provide this opportunity. Preliminary work has been commenced thereon and we hope to have a gathering of carers in the coming weeks to kick off the strategy and commence the process. The strategy presents an opportunity to consider the role of carers, who are valuable and valued in society. All sides of the House have made it clear consistently that they value them. The strategy will be developed in the course of this year and there will be full consultations with the social partners and others in its preparation.

I suspect I will not have the opportunity to debate carers again in the immediate future and I will therefore proceed at the risk of repeating myself. I have an open mind on the means test, as I have made clear. The benefit incurs a cost of €140 million at present. I am impressed by Deputy Penrose's constant campaign in this regard. He, Deputy Stanton and others made some progress when we introduced the half-rate carer's allowance. I have no doubt that, in the fullness of time, the campaign to remove the means test will be fruitful. It is only a matter of timing and no great principle is at stake once one redefines the carer's allowance as not constituting an income support. Once one considers a carer as an individual doing a job that the State would have to do otherwise, thus keeping people in their own homes, one will realise carers' work should be supported for its own sake as opposed to considering the income of the carer.

The system is being developed according to these considerations. I recall the Minister for Health and Children saying it costs four times as much to keep somebody in a residential institution than to keep him in his own home. If one does the sums in this regard, one will find that removing the means test would prove cheap. As with everything else, developments must proceed at their own pace.

The carer's allowance was originally €70 and now amounts to well over €200. We then added courses and the free travel pass, which was extended to all recipients a year later. We extended eligibility for the telephone allowance and a year later the residence requirements were relaxed. A year thereafter, the back to education allowance was extended to all carers whose caring responsibilities had ceased. A few months later, the electricity, gas and free television allowance was extended to those in receipt of carer's allowance and carers of people in receipt of prescribed relative or constant attendant allowances.

When the carer's benefit was introduced in 2001, the relevant duration was increased from 15 months to 24 months. The rate of payment of this benefit increased to €200, with effect from 2007. The respite care grant has increased very substantially over a couple of years. It was extended to all carers, irrespective of their means. The definition of "full-time care and attention" was relaxed five to seven years ago and was then extended to include care of up to 15 hours per week. The half-rate payment was permitted this year.

In the budget for this year, an extra €107 million was allocated for a special carer's package. There has been steady, solid and good progress in recognising carers. However, given the emphasis on ageing and its management, and the strategies and policies concerning long-term care, the time has come to re-examine the role of the carer, as Deputy Stanton has advocated. The carers strategy should constitute the framework in which this can be achieved. We should seek to make some important decisions in the context of that strategy.

One can see how progress has been made over the years and the strategy will allow us to consider the role of the carer afresh and determine how the carer can best be supported in keeping recipients of care in their own homes, thereby keeping the pressure off the system. Policy in general has moved, or is moving, in this direction, despite the fact that some would not see it that way.

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