Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Murnane O'Connor. I welcome the opportunity to speak to the Bill. There are a number of issues, one of which relates to the commitment in respect of the pension that is outlined in the programme for Government. It is very important that it be tied down in legislation and that there be no ambiguity about it. We must ensure that the pension is given at the correct age because, as people reach their 60s, they will have been working for more than 40 years in some instances, and changing the goalposts towards the end is completely unacceptable.

Another important issue relates to carers and the carer's allowance and benefit. In the course of the previous Dáil, we raised the issue of the length of time it was taking - 14 to 16 weeks - to get a carer's allowance processed. Thankfully, that is not the case at the moment and the applications are being processed faster, but an awful lot of work, preparation and documentation is required for an application to be successful. One issue that has come to my attention over many years concerns cases where a person has to give up work to care for some family member, whether an elderly relative, a sibling or a child who needs full-time care and assistance. If one of the partners is working, that partner's income is taken into account and it may put the carer over the limit for the allowance.

If we are to talk about a fully inclusive society, and if we want to make things as right as possible for people who care for people with disabilities or who are infirm or ill, the application should be care assessed rather than means tested. The process should examine the level of care that is needed for the person who requires full-time care and assistance. If somebody is coming off work and has worked and contributed to PRSI and taxes over many years, irrespective of the person's age he or she should be considered in terms of a needs assessment. The Minister might take that back to the Department to ensure that a needs assessment be considered rather than a means test. A mechanism in respect of the carer's benefit was brought in almost 20 years ago by the then Minister of State with responsibility for labour, Tom Kitt.

There is room to look at the carer's benefit and, if possible, to expand it, look at the contributions that people have made over a number of years - maybe five, six, ten years or something like that - and consider what they have paid in PRSI. If they have met a certain criteria for PRSI paid, they could be paid carer's benefit for the time that the care need is deemed to be necessary. That would allow people who are providing full-time care and assistance for a family relative of any age the dignity to have their own money while they are doing an immensely important job on behalf of the State. This is vitally important. We should recognise carers in all aspects of our society. During the pandemic, many of them have been providing care and assistance at every level. It is important that we look at it in the context of the challenge that is there now and as we move forward. There is scope in this regard and legislation should be drafted within the Department. Having looked at the existing legislation, for somebody who is coming off of work and has been paying taxes and making PRSI contributions, there should be a mechanism to extend the carer's benefit for longer than two years provided the care need is necessary and that an assessment of need has been carried out. I ask the Minister to look at that.

I welcome the contributions. I could discuss a raft of issues relating to social welfare. I compliment the Minister and all the officials in the Department of Social Protection who work so hard to provide a service as best they can and, in particular, for doing so in recent in most challenging circumstances. There are anomalies with many systems and we try to bring them to the attention of the Dáil as best we can.

See this speech in context