Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I understood the minute rule applied to general questions. Deputy Dara Murphy and I asked the Minister whether she envisaged this cut being reversed. Although there was no direct answer, I take it from what the Minister stated that the answer is "No". She gave an expenditure figure of €776 million for carers. Will she agree that the cost of care provided on a voluntary basis, at some 900,000 hours, if costed, would amount to €77 million per week, which is effectively a contribution of some €2.5 billion to the Exchequer? In other words, we are getting back from carers almost four times what we are giving to them. In view of this and the work they are doing - many carers testified in a recent survey that their own physical health had been affected - and given that the budget deficit figures came in beneath target, will the Minister reconsider the decision to impose the cut in June?

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