Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Indeed, the assessment supports the implementation of the national social target for poverty reduction and reducing consistent poverty from 4% to 2% or thereabouts in 2020. It will take significant funding to achieve that and to improve living standards. Social transfers and taxes have a significant role in that, which we support. I also support the Minister's priorities regarding lone parents and jobseeker’s transitional payments, and I subscribe to the restoration of the income disregard for one-parent families, which facilitates a return to employment or the continuation of employment and opportunities in that regard.

I have always raised the issue of carers. I wrote a report on this issue, of which I am proud. The Minister has continued what various Ministers have done over the years. Carers are just about recognised, but they are poorly treated. I filled in forms for the son of an 89 year old blind woman the other day. He does a little farming. I would win the lottery or get a camel through the eye of a needle quicker. He is allowed to farm for 15 hours as a carer. The Department will come back with a multiplicity of questions about this and I will get angry. The man looks after his mother day and night and he does an hour or two a day with the cattle, giving them fodder and so on. Sometimes the questions the Minister's officials come back with regarding applications would stretch incredulity. I have a lot of knowledge about agriculture but some of them do not know much.

See this speech in context