John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)

I expect that many Deputies will speak about carers during this debate. I do not want to patronise those who provide care in the home when I point out that they play a huge role in Irish society. Various reports which have been published over the years have found that the best place to care for old people is in their own homes. Many supports are available to facilitate such care — grants are paid to help to make homes habitable and comfortable, for example. I welcome the continued development of the carer's allowance and carer's benefit schemes, as well as the respite care grant programme. Respite is of huge importance to carers as they often have to look after others 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is important that carers are able to avail of respite care grants so they can place their elderly parents or loved ones in care at certain times.

Like Deputy O'Connor, I will be somewhat parochial by referring to my parish, where there is a respite care centre that is probably the only one of its kind in the country. While those who run it do so on a voluntary basis, they get some support from the statutory bodies. It was the brainchild of the local community council and it provides a fantastic service. Carers are able to bring their elderly relatives to stay in one of the facility's 20 beds for one, two or three weeks at a time. It is fantastic. We should have more of these throughout the country as they are good value for money. In many cases HSE establishments do not have enough beds. This is something that should be considered in future.

The qualified adult allowance is very important. As a result of changes in the personal pension rate, more than 42,000 pensioner couples will see their household income increase by up to €41 per week, or nearly 11%, next year. This is welcome. The total social welfare support for a contributory pensioner couple receiving the fuel allowance will exceed €23,000, an increase of almost €2,200 over the pre-budget position. This is welcome.

I refer again briefly to carers in the home and the tremendous service they are providing. The alternative is for people to put their elderly parents and loved ones in residential care. We all know what is happening in this area. I am slightly digressing, but I am disappointed that legislation on the new nursing home support scheme, A Fair Deal, which was due to come before the House in the next couple of weeks, will not be dealt with before Christmas. This new system is intended to remove the discrimination that exists currently in this area of long-stay care. There are many thousands of people out there who want to see the playing field levelled. I am amazed that action has not been taken against the State in this area. Elderly people were cared for well and lovingly in our public hospitals, and we are paying back millions of euro totally unnecessarily, while relatives who must make up a shortfall on a weekly or monthly basis are being crippled by nursing home charges. It is totally unfair.

If two neighbours are living side by side, one may be fortunate enough to receive a bed in a public facility, paying part of his or her pension on a weekly basis for their good care, while the other, if not as fortunate, may have to enter a private nursing home, paying anything up to €1,000 per week. This puts a huge burden on the children in that family. There may be five or six siblings, of whom three or four do not bother to help but leave the other two or three to carry the can. It is important this legislation is introduced at the earliest possible date. I accept the point about the need for a full debate and engagement with the process, but I do not want to see this Bill delayed further because the current blatant discrimination needs to be removed from the system.

I have no difficulty with people being asked to pay nursing home charges subsequent to the death of a loved one if they can afford to pay it out of the estate of the deceased. People would gladly pay back 5% afterwards rather than being put under the financial strain of paying on a weekly basis while trying to put their own children through college and pay their day-to-day expenses. The sooner this legislation is introduced the better. I look forward to making a contribution in that regard when the time comes as I would welcome a levelling of the playing field.

Overall, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Cullen, and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, have done a wonderful job at a time of tightened financial resources. We can always criticise the substance of increases. If there is an increase of €14, someone will ask why there was not an increase of €15. However, we must understand that every €1 increase adds up to a huge amount of money across the range of schemes. While increases can be given here and there, people will always criticise, especially the Opposition. If the criticism is constructive I do not have any problem with it. However, the previous two Governments have a great track record in supporting social welfare recipients. I am glad that at a time of straitened financial circumstances we are still in a position to do this and to continue supporting the most vulnerable in our society.

I looked at the document presented to the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs by Fr. Seán Healy this afternoon. There were many positive comments welcoming the increases and changes we saw in the recent budget. Fr. Healy made an intervention a couple of years ago in which he appealed to the Government to be more focused on social welfare. However, the targets set for increases have mostly been met. At a time when our finances are not as plentiful as they were over the last number of years, I am delighted the Minister was able to secure such a decent and respectable increase in social welfare spending. I commend the Bill.

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