Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

With regard to carers and the wonderful work they do for the people they care for, the Deputy is aware they will be among the principal beneficiaries of the partial restoration of the Christmas bonus. For an individual carer, this means an additional payment in December. In respect of the individual, if the family of the carer is in receipt of social welfare the amount will be higher. It will be in the region of €60 or €70 and more if the family is involved. It is a small amount, which I appreciate, but we have not been able to do all that we would like to do in respect of social welfare in the budget. We have been able to do that.

A commitment has been given to include carers in the €100 water support payment. Carers will receive some support from the budget. I would love to be able to reverse every one of the spending cuts made, including the €16.80 reduction in the weekly payments made by the Fianna Fáil-led Government before the last election. People with disabilities and older people are the two types of people carers care for and the living alone allowance will increase in respect of people with a disability and older people who live alone. Although we have not been able to do as much as we would like, we have made a substantial provision for improving payments to carers and having them share in some of the €200 million additional funding put into the social welfare budget. It is not as much as I would like and hopefully next year and the year after we will be able to do more but that is what we have been able to do this year. We have had to restore the economy and increase employment so that we can provide for payments and services to important people who do wonderful work, like carers.

I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Gerald Nash, who is dealing with labour issues to contact Deputy McDonald about the JJ Rhattigan and Co. dispute. It has also been before the courts and I am not aware of the detail of the court case.

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