Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak briefly on this proposal. When one considers the latter in conjunction with what is happening in the Department of Health, one can see that a combination of things are affecting carers. Sadly, the Minister is caught in the middle of the storm. That statutory two weeks respite to which elderly people are entitled has been removed. Even though there is statutory provision, people cannot avail of this. The cuts to home help hours represent a clawing back of the supports available to people in their own homes. There are those who increasingly rely on the respite care grant to subvent those cuts that are being made by the Department of Health. This highlights the fact that it is not possible to deal in isolation with an issue which has implications across the entire budget.

It is extremely frustrating that for one third of those who are in receipt of it, the respite care grant is the only State recognition they get. These people do not receive medical cards or many of the other allowances and entitlements that are available. Those to whom I refer feel really hurt in the context of the proposed cut to the grant. If one considers this cut in tandem with the delay which exists in respect of carer's allowance applications - this currently stands at approximately 11 months - and the impact this has in the context of delays with regard to the processing of the respite care grant, it is obvious that what is happening is placing an additional administrative burden on the Minister's Department and leading to overpayments of supplementary welfare allowance. Efficiencies could be achieved by streamlining the process to which I refer and these, in turn, could give rise to savings.

The Bill also contains a proposal in respect of farm assist and I am of the view that this will actually cost money rather than give rise to the saving of €5 million that is envisaged. I have put forward proposals to the Minister regarding how we might save €50 million in respect of the child benefit budget by addressing the issue of fraud and non-resident children. A number of suggestions have also been put forward by other Deputies in respect of the changes to pension relief. If these were brought forward, the savings to which the Minister refers could be made.

I accept that the Minister is in an extremely difficult position in the context of the proposed cut to the respite care grant. The saving involved - €26 million - is relatively small in the context of her Department's overall budget. In light of the fact that this proposal will not be implemented until next June - when the respite care grant is due to be paid - I suggest that there is a window of opportunity available to the Minister during which she might reconsider the position. A second social welfare Bill is normally introduced in the spring. In that context, will the Minister postpone what is proposed here and, during the window of opportunity to which I refer, ask the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection to consider the views of and suggestions put forward by those in opposition and come up with an alternative - within the Department's budget - to the €26 million cut to the respite care grant? I am of the view that it would be possible to make savings within the Department of Social Protection's budget by improving efficiencies.

The Minister should provide the window of opportunity to which I refer in order that we might take the time to deal with this matter. The provision in this regard will not kick in until the middle or the end of June. Rather than dividing the House on this issue, all the Members should work together to arrive at a workable solution in respect of this matter.

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