John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I did not ask the Minister to make the payment. I made the point that as practising public representatives, we regularly meet people who do not qualify for carer's allowance. This is often the case with women and one reason is that the husband is out working. The Minister referred to an income disregard and an income deficit. What is missing from the equation, which is a particularly significant issue for Dublin, is the cost of accommodation, whether it is a mortgage or rent. People are not able to give up the second job and live a normal life to do the caring. It is a massive burden. I did not ask the Minister to make the payment. All I am saying is that we recognise that there is a problem for some people accessing carer's allowance. The people I meet would traditionally have worked. Perhaps they might have qualified for carers' benefit had they been in work long enough. However, that payment runs out, after which they do not go onto carer's allowance. People are living longer, and that has consequences where someone is caring for an elderly relative. I seek a radical review of this system so that the carer's allowance does not only recognise an income deficit but also takes account of the expenses people have. People cannot turn on or off their mortgage or rent.

See this speech in context