Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I, like Deputy Crawford, acknowledge how helpful and supportive the staff of the Department of Social and Family Affairs are to Members. They are more available at the end of a telephone line, a considerable change in the past eight years.

From constituency clinics, I am aware of several issues concerning this Bill, particularly the role of carers. In the budget, the rate of payment for carers was increased by €14 per week, as well as the respite care grant and the weekly income disregard for carer's allowance. The earnings threshold for entitlement to carer's benefit will be increased by €12.50. Any amount of the carer's benefit that was in excess of the basic rate will be disregarded for the purposes of rent and mortgage interest supplement.

While one is hardly going to reject these welcome proposed payment increases, they are piecemeal measures. The proposed national carers' strategy needs to be developed to ensure supports and services are provided for carers and that their health and well-being can be addressed. An adequate and fair system of remuneration must be put in place.

Carers must also be facilitated in terms of training. For many, it is an entirely new area with nursing and medical issues. Some caring for elderly people may be elderly themselves but get little support in developing their expertise. I look forward to the publication of the strategy to address these issues.

From the debates on the budget and this Bill, it is obvious the role of carers is of real concern and they need their voices heard. No one doubts the contribution they make to society. Financially, the Carers Association estimates the work of family carers saves the State over €2.1 billion per annum. All Members recognise the value carers provide to the State.

The health strategy announced by the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive, HSE, puts more emphasis on community care. Such an approach will allow people live longer in their own homes, not becoming dependent on nursing homes or long-term care institutions. The role of the carer will be essential in delivering this policy objective.

I look forward to the publication of the Government's carers' strategy and that it will recognise carers are individuals themselves who need a work-life balance. I hope measures will be introduced to allow carers leave work in emergency situations. Carers should be put to the centre of the debate. Flexibility is very important. Facilitating them and recognising their contribution will go a long way towards improving their quality of life and health.

Another welfare issue that regularly comes to my attention is that of one-parent families and rented accommodation costs. Up to 25% of families are one-parent families with 21% of children living in one-parent families. Up to 80,000 lone parents are in receipt of the one-parent family payment. Lone parents, however, experience the highest levels of consistent poverty with approximately 40% of lone-parent households at risk of poverty.

The cost of rented accommodation for lone parents can be very high. Rent allowance and rent supplement levels do not match the high levels of rents demanded. Many of those in receipt of such benefits are lone parents. Rents have escalated recently. While today's newspapers report the level of rent increases is levelling out, rents have not gone down. A cap was introduced to reduce the level of rents but it is not working. While the rental accommodation scheme will ensure security of supply for tenants with support from the local authority, the uptake of the scheme has been varied across the country. One only has to look at the registry on www.daft.ie to get a clear indication of the high level of rents demanded by landlords. It is having a detrimental and negative effect on those dependent on rent supplement, particularly lone parents. I hope the Minister will address this issue. The Acting Chairman, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, will be well aware of this issue as it must come across her desk regularly.

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