David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)

To follow up on an issue raised by Deputy Boyd Barrett, has the Government carried out an objective economic impact assessment of carers' work to assess exactly how valuable their work is from an economic viewpoint? We already know how valuable it is from a human viewpoint. Has any proposal been examined to differentiate between the levels of care provided, for example, low, medium or high dependency? Does the Minister agree it would make sense for somebody who needs high dependency care who is bed-ridden to receive more assistance than someone who needs low dependency care?

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