Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the changes. Many of the questions I had intended to ask have already been answered by the Minister. We deal with carers as a group a great deal and they do phenomenal work, much of it hidden. I would love to see empirical work done on what they are saving the State in terms of healthcare. I do not know if that is being done, but it should be done. I welcome the increase in the income thresholds and the increase in the amounts. As a slight aside when speaking about groups, the living alone allowance has been increased over a number of years. The cohabiting group arises repeatedly, where there is a couple who are living and are in receipt of the pension, either as a qualifying adult or a pension in a person's own right.

Suddenly one of them passes away, expenses remain the same and the other gets caught. The Minister should always keep that matter under review. I ask for her observations on that.

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