Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend my fellow Deputies on introducing this motion. Some 500,000 family carers across the country provide in-home supports every week. They are loyal and dedicated and save this State up to €20 billion each year. In most cases, they work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the majority not getting paid for half the hours they have worked. The latter equates to up to 19 million hours per week unpaid. We need to acknowledge the care they provide for the most vulnerable people in our society.

Family carers are not currently scheduled to be vaccinated any sooner than the general population, even though they play a vital role as primary caregivers to people who have very vulnerable immune systems. Since the pandemic began, they have not been offered any personal protective equipment, PPE, or financial support. Family carers are exhausted. A constituent of mine from Navan was in touch with me about this matter. She is looking after a loved one who is sick and who needed to be transferred to the hospital for more in-depth care by doctors. The Department cut this person's family care allowance even though she still travels up to her loved one every day, feeding them, bringing changes of clothes back and forth and tending to their everyday needs.

Family carers need financial supports. We need to look at the eligibility criteria for applications and extend them to help struggling families. Family carers should be needs tested, not means tested. A few weeks ago, I called the local district nurse about an elderly lady who is waiting on home care. I was told that there were 300 people on the list and that the woman about whom I was calling was 80th on it. There is no point in approving people for home help if there is nobody there to provide it. There are not enough HSE carers and private companies are not providing the hours that are sanctioned. The elderly and people's carers are being left out on a limb. The sad thing is that this Government does not recognise that every carer in the country is an unsung hero.

See this speech in context