Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

This Government chose not to tackle the wealthy, the corporations or their own perks. The notion that we should be grateful that core payments were not tackled is a disgrace and an insult. The respite care grant is the core payment to 20,000 families in this State and it has been attacked. As a consequence of the cut, their core income will have to be stretched to bear the cost of additional ESB charges arising from the cut in the units allowance, extra telephone charges and increased bus fares, general inflation and so on. The army of workers - that is exactly what they are - who care for loved ones 24 hours per day and 365 days per year in homes and communities will not let this issue go. They cannot afford to do so and they have nowhere else to go.

The Government has made a very serious mistake on this issue. We have all met the people protesting outside these gates, people who are under acute and intense pressure. I never encountered so many individuals involved in a single protest who were what I would describe as on the edge. I do not for a moment doubt the surveys which reveal that 38% of carers are completely overwhelmed by the lives they lead and the circumstances they are forced to endure, circumstances which have had a massive impact on their health. Many of the carers to whom we spoke last week asked us to swap places and live their life for one or two days, without any relief from their caring duties. I do not have time to relate the stories I heard. The illusion that carers are some type of modern day Florence Nightingales who work for the love of their family members and the politicians are the great ones who give them a few bob - and are they not lucky to be getting it? - is getting the thing entirely the wrong way around.

Deputy John Halligan is correct when he says this is modern day slavery. It is a crime that we are saving a fortune through the unpaid labour of hundreds of thousands of citizens in this State. The sweat off their backs is directly benefiting this State. What it comes down to is that carers are workers and should be treated as such. People have given up a lifetime of work because their loved one became ill and are now living the life of a pauper. They are entitled to proper wages and conditions. After all, it is an undeniable fact that the State benefits to the tune of €4 billion from their work. The Government has got it the wrong way around when it comes to care in the community. In addition to the cut in the respite care grant, home help hours which offer carers some relief for a couple of hours a day have been reduced. The Government is making carers ill and placing a huge drain on the economy. Carers are not vulnerable and weak; they are workers who are entitled to be paid accordingly. If we did that, we might appreciate them a little more.

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