Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The concerns I am raising are compounded by the difficulties being experienced by foster parents in qualifying for the contributory pension. The problem here is that what they do is not seen as work. I understand this particular issue is outside the Minister's remit and may be more properly a matter for the Department of Social Protection. However, as Minister with ultimate responsibility for foster parents, I look forward to teasing out the matter with her in the future with a view to championing the cause of foster parents in this regard. While foster carers qualify for homemaker's credits until their foster children are 12, thereafter they are deemed to be not working and are being told they must get a part-time job. They are expected to do so while also caring for teenagers who are often very vulnerable. We must ensure the role of foster parent is recognised as a job that qualifies for credits and thereby allows them to qualify for a contributory pension.

Some 92% of the children in the care of the State, many of them requiring a great deal of support, are looked after on our behalf by foster carers. Those carers are deserving of adequate practical support, such as the retention of the higher-rate allowance and the mileage payment of 33 cent per mile after their foster child turns 18. In addition to this practical provision, there also must be an acknowledgment on the part of the State of the very important role foster parents perform and a clear statement of the desirability of ensuring they are adequately supported. That is vital if we are to continue to attract people into this vital role in the future.

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