Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

The Minister did not address the issue I raised whereby enabling the person to survive at home on his or her own can sometimes mean an hour's care in the morning and in the evening and someone dropping in for a while at lunchtime. The efforts of such carers are worthy of recognition.

The Carers Association will attest to the fact that isolation is an extremely important issue for those who provide care. There are many good reasons, apart entirely from their ability to pay their bills, for people to remain in the workforce. These include maintaining social contact or keeping a farm or family business in operation. Certain individuals are making a significant contribution in the context of providing care for others to enable them to remain at home. That is the critical point. For that reason, there is a need for far greater flexibility in the operation of the scheme.

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