Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

There has been considerable slippage in the delivery of the Government's undertaking. Is it a case of the Government not giving adequate priority to the work of carers? The programme for Government states: "Ensure a National Carers' Strategy focusing on supporting informal and family carers in the community will be developed by the end of 2007." That is a delay of ten months. It would be easy to come to the conclusion that the Minister, who is new to her Department, is not giving adequate priority to the issues of carers. The country depends on the vast number of people providing care to ensure that people can remain in their homes and that the cost to the Exchequer does not go through the roof entirely.

What is the reason for the ten-month delay in delivering on the undertaking given in the programme for Government? At what point is the publication of the strategy expected?

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