Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion. This is an issue that should generate widespread cross-party support.

The Central Statistics Office has found that 10% of the population are providing care to someone with a chronic condition or an infirmity due to old age for an average of nearly 45 hours per week. An estimated 355,000 people in Ireland are carers, many of them caring for family members on an unpaid basis. Disturbingly the study also found that more than 13,000 carers are under the age of 25, including children involved in care giving, which is shocking. While this is commendable on one level it also speaks to the fact that so many young people are essentially providing the role of carer while also trying to balance other work-life opportunities including trying to rear young families.

I have highlighted that the carers of Tipperary provide a staggering 256,120 hours of care per week. This breaks down to an average of 42.1 hours per carer per week, which is an enormous sacrifice. The findings also record that 7,041 people in Tipperary stated that they provided regular unpaid personal help for a friend or family member with a long-term illness, health problem or disability. This comprises 4.4% of the county’s population in April 2016.

Going back to the young age of the carers, a response to a parliamentary question stated that there are at least 138 carers aged under 15 years, a shocking figure. This is a situation that demands immediate examination. These statistics demonstrate the clear need for Government to prioritise and fully resource carers' needs and to ensure they are provided with every level of assistance possible.

With a sector of our society providing more than 250,000 hours of care every week, it is very clear the work they are doing is of fundamental importance. That must be reflected in the Government's approach to carers and their families. The carers had an event this morning in Buswells as they do every year. We have plenty of patronising talk about how great they are. As Deputy Danny Healy-Rae and others have said, it is ridiculous how long it takes for an application to be processed. I salute Jim Molloy, the manager of carers in south Tipperary and his colleagues, along with all the care givers. It is time for the Government to pony up and put its money where its mouth is. Pious platitudes are no good. The Government needs to give support and respect to the family carers. It needs to shorten the waiting time for applications.

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