Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

Amendments Nos. 24 and 26 in my name seek to address two anomalies in the operation of the carer's allowance system. The first relates to those carers who care for more than one person. The system as it operates is unfair in respect of their position. If a person is providing full-time care for two or more people, thus enabling them to live independently and remain outside institutional care, he or she should be paid an allowance in respect of each of those persons. I do not understand the justification or rationalisation for not recognising this type of contribution and providing an appropriate allowance in each case. Will the Minister reconsider this rule or, at least, provide some justification for it?

Amendment No. 26 relates to the situation where people are not entitled to credits while in receipt of carer's allowance unless they were claiming for credits in the two years prior to being granted the allowance. Many carers previously worked in the home and did not sign on for credits and were not in receipt of any social welfare payment. There is no justification for denying such carers the right to be awarded credits for the period in which they provide care. The failure to award these persons credit for the duration of their caring duties has long-term implications in terms of their pensions. It is a mean-spirited rule and the cost implications of a change would not be significant. It is unfair to those who may have been full-time carers of their own children in the home and subsequently take on the care of an elderly parent or parent-in-law. They are denied credits simply because they were not in employment beforehand or claiming social welfare benefits. There is no justification for this and I ask the Minister to review it with a view to correcting it in next year's budget.

See this speech in context