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

I have spent my political life advocating for and highlighting the carers' plight.

I welcome the increase from 15 hours to 18.5 hours. It is long overdue. It has been called for. It has not changed since 2006.

The Minister cannot disguise the fact that there has been no increase in the income disregard for the carer's allowance to match. The Minister has, in effect, created a potential poverty trap. If they work those extra hours, is the Minister telling me that their carer's allowance will not be reduced proportionately?

Only one carer in four receives the allowance due to the means test. The Minister has a good system but 81,000 out of 355,000 is less than one in four. That is the point. It is closer to one in five.

This is a well-intentioned policy objective which the Minister has achieved but if the Minister does not follow through, she will defeat the purpose for which she brought it in. The Minister should review that.

Let the Minister not mind the SWITCH model. That makes lots of errors.

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