Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Martin Browne. All Deputies deal with carers in our constituency offices and in the course of our daily work as parliamentarians, and we are in awe of the fantastic work they do. That is why the State provides supports for people on fixed incomes who are providing such a vital service to a loved one. The State recognises that this service is of huge value.

I accept there are difficult challenges. There is the impact of the conflict in Ukraine. The increase in the cost of living was a problem before that but it has been exacerbated by the conflict. That is why people on carer's allowance qualify for the household benefits package.

The Deputy stated that I had rattled off a lot of figures. There are a lot of different figures because we take a whole-of-government approach to this matter.

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