Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Does the Minister agree, and from her answer it appears she does, that half-rate carer's allowance exists for a good reason, namely, it plays an important role in tackling poverty among households affected by disability in particular? Does she agree the payment of €102 per week for full-time care is not a bonus, far from it? Is she aware the payment is generally subsumed into the household weekly budget to cover the many additional costs to which disability gives rise, for example, when caring for a person with cancer or with limited mobility, there is an extra cost to heating a home to ward off the cold, or if someone is caring for an incontinent person, there are extra costs for linen and so on, as is the case for a person with special dietary requirements.

The Minister told us there are some 21,000 families on the half-rate carer's allowance. Is she aware that if she was to cut that allowance, this would result in weekly income cuts ranging from 15% to 50% for those families, and that among those, the largest grouping affected would be pensioners?

See this speech in context