Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to discuss this Bill and related matters. This Bill will be remembered because of the lost opportunities to introduce real reform and changes in key social welfare areas such as lone parents and carers. Successive Fianna Fáil Governments have forgotten about carers and the new Minister has continued this trend. The Bill presented a wonderful opportunity to finally address many of the shortfalls in the support system for carers who provide a service the State would otherwise have to provide. Carers are the backbone of this country yet no serious effort is made in the Bill to give them the break they deserve.

I speak to carers on a daily basis and I recently met East Clare Caring for Carers. I pay tribute to the chairperson of that group, Mrs. Helen Kelly. The Bill has missed an opportunity to address the issue of carers in a comprehensive way. I urge the Minister to engage in direct discussions with carers' groups prior to the publication of the national carers strategy. It is important that officials engage directly with these groups because they are the people on the ground and they know the issues. It is vital that they have a direct input into the publication of the national carers strategy.

The new strategy must include a firm commitment from Government to recognise carers' health and well-being and to introduce a proper system of remuneration. The Minister should take on board Fine Gael's proposals to assess each individual carer according to his or her means. It is the carer and not the carer's partner who provides care and, therefore, the carer's partner's income should be excluded from the means test.

The Bill could also have improved the lot of lone parents but, again, this was a missed opportunity. I welcome the pilot initiatives that are ongoing in Kilkenny and Coolock that examine the individual needs of lone parents on a case-by-case basis in terms of child care, literacy and education, prior to getting them on to various schemes or into part-time work. This approach is most welcome. I urge the Minister to extend the pilot project to the rest of the country.

The current rent supplement scheme is not working. The cap does not reflect the reality on the ground. Despite media reports indicating that rents are falling, that is not what I hear in my clinics. We need to examine this whole area and get an idea of what landlords are charging in rent. It is very difficult for lone parents to get suitable housing and to find a landlord who will accept rent allowance. A co-ordinated approach needs to be taken. Rent supplements must be realistic as the current provision makes life difficult for lone parents.

There is no encouragement for lone parents to go back into the workforce as to do so would result in them losing their rent allowance. This issue needs to be addressed.

See this speech in context