Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Although I am not doing so, it would be very reasonable to ask for carers to be paid the minimum wage, at least, for what they do, or alternatively to be paid an amount equivalent to how much it would cost the State to provide home care packages if carers were not doing this full-time caring job. The State is getting this service from carers for €204 a week, or approximately €5 an hour. Rather than asking for carers to be paid the minimum wage, we are calling for all carers to be afforded the full PRSI credit so that they can avail of benefits like jobseeker's benefit or the contributory pension. This is the least we should do for them in light of the very cheap service they perform for the State. Can the Minister respond to that reasonable proposal?

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