Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister's acknowledgement that there is an issue and that he will come back to it at some point. In the context of more people working from home or doing blended working, this issue will arise more. Also, some people need a few hours outside of the home for their mental health and sanity. Those people would not be able to get the home carer tax credit. As I said, it is fundamentally unjust. I know the legislation was not put in place with that perspective in mind but as the Minister and I both know, sometimes unintended consequences happen and that is, perhaps at best, what happened here. The Minister mentioned the dependant relative tax credit and the cost of same and I accept that but the Minister and I both know that family carers save the State huge amounts of money every year and that needs to be factored into any decision. I thank the Minister for his acknowledgement that he will look at this.

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