Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will speak briefly to amendment No. 8 proposed by my colleague, Deputy Kerrane. The amendment asks to look at the income disregards for those applying for the carer's allowance. It has not been updated in almost 13 years and the cost of living has certainly changed in that time. I acknowledge that the number of hours a carer is allowed to work outside of his or her caring role was increased from 15 to 18.5 last year and that was welcome. However, in many cases, carers who work the additional hours end up losing out because the carer's allowance is a means-tested payment which ends up being reduced. The stringent means test means that family carers who perform invaluable work which saves the State billions of euro every year often feel worthless at the end of it. It was supposed to be looked at by the Government which made a commitment to do this in 2016. I ask that something be done about the income disregard. Carers feel worthless as they are constantly means tested and, in many cases, they end up caring for someone all their lives. They are not allowed to work very many hours and coming to pension age, they are means tested for that again. I would like the Minister to address this.

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