Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his remarks on the work carers do. All of us at one stage or another have been carers. It is vitally important work, particularly in some cases where people have lifelong disabilities. I refer to children in particular but also in other cases when people we know and love are coming to the end of their lives or getting through a serious illness.

I am happy to say that I had a lengthy discussion with both the Carers Association and Age Action Ireland yesterday morning in my office. A number of the issues the Deputy touched upon were discussed by myself and the senior officials dealing with these matters in the Department of Social Protection and with representatives and leadership of the Carers Association and of Age Action Ireland.

The Deputy mentioned a number of issues, one of which is something we are very aware of, namely, what happens to somebody who has been a carer but the person they were caring for either no longer requires care or, in many cases, may have passed on. As the Minister I am anxious to begin to put in place a framework that would assist carers in that position. Already, as the Deputy knows, many organisations, not just the Carers Association but also an organisation that is prominent in his county of Kerry, the Alzheimer's Association, provide a good deal of training and information to people who are caring to help them care for themselves. It is important that carers care for themselves.

I said yesterday that I propose to examine the establishment of an after carers package that would allow people who have come out of caring hold on to the carer's allowance for six weeks following which they would be able, as they wish, to begin to access the different schemes and opportunities in education and training available from my Department. I invited the Carers Association representatives to come back to me with specific proposals they might have in that area. For instance, we might consider a number of pilot schemes, which is something in which I have long been interested.

The Deputy also mentioned the issue of the hours spent caring in a week, which was raised yesterday also. I undertook to have my officials examine that because I would be anxious about a situation where somebody is spending a lot of time caring, including in the evening and at night. The Deputy's suggestion is that people would be encouraged to take up more part-time work, but I would like to examine that. It may make sense in particular cases but I would be concerned about somebody taking up a lot of work and then coming home to care for someone who requires a very high level of care because it is a condition of the carer's allowance that people have to undertake care over and above the norm. I would be concerned that people would not over burden themselves because the carer's allowance is meant to provide people with some income support. However, I undertook to examine it and both organisations said they would come back to us. I will await that response.

Regarding this year's budget, I am happy to say that the carers would have benefited from the improvement in the Christmas bonus and the people they are caring for, who in many cases are family members, would also have benefited from the Christmas bonus. People being cared for who are disabled and live alone would also have benefited from the first increase in the living alone allowance in a very long time.

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