Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I fully accept that the focus of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection is on income support. The reality is that carer's allowance was never designed solely as an income support because of the income disregard that was introduced and the need to try to support as many older people as possible to remain in their own homes and, of course, to support younger people with disabilities.

The Minister also has responsibility for rural and community affairs. A broader view needs to be taken of this throughout Government. The onus is on the Government as a whole to examine this rather than just kicking the can into the Minister's Department, which is the easy and soft option. We need movement on the income that carers receive for the work they do. Since 2009, the carer's allowance has decreased. If we look at it compared to the minimum wage, the rate of carer's allowance today should be €257.50 just to keep in line with the rate of increase of the minimum wage. This really needs to be examined in the context of the budget.

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