Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is a bit of a tricky issue. I will give some brief background with a synopsis of this lady's situation. Her name is Margaret. She wrote to me to say she is the mother to her daughter of 36 years. Her daughter has Fraser syndrome and to date is the only one in Ireland with that syndrome. She is deaf, dumb, registered blind and is autistic. She explains how she does the hardest job in the world rearing her disabled daughter, which is extremely demanding and a thankless job. Her day starts at 5.30 a.m., showering dressing, brushing her daughter's hair and tying her shoes. Margaret's daughter is 36 years and she has spent those 36 years as her sole carer. Margaret fractured her pelvis in 2016 and had to give up work. She ended up riding a bike for a year so that she could take her daughter on her very important routine daily walks. In February, Margaret had an operation but had to discharge herself the same day to care for her daughter. If her daughter was in residential care, it would cost the State around €1,000 to €1,500 a week to care for her. However, because of Margaret's position in life, the State has awarded her €4.50 of a weekly allowance to care for her daughter. Margaret wrote that she actually thought she was a good mother but the State had made her feel worthless. She says it is an insult to her and to others who give up their lives and freedom to look after their disabled children.

The letter came from the Department about the allowance being means tested. I am well aware there are many convenience marriages in the country and, after Covid, there are many more. The couple are living two separate lives but they are being means tested as if they were together. That means that poor mother has literally nothing. Her sole job is to care for her daughter. To get that news from the Department would break your soul. I know the woman personally. I see her anytime, and it does not matter what time of year it is, she has to take her daughter out for a walk. It is one of the simplest things. She feels so worthless. She said she did not want to come to me and she did not want to complain but it was such a measly amount. She tried to explain to the Department that the husband, or ex-husband, despite being at the same address, only supports the daily household bills. That lady does not have the opportunity to earn money. She is entitled to a carer's allowance, but because it is means tested including the husband's income, the State has decided to give her €4.50.

I raise this issue in the House because I raised it a good few weeks ago directly with the Minister through the pigeon hole, as it were, but I have had no response or acknowledgement. It does not look good for me when I am trying to do my job to help people, and that is why I raise it here tonight. There has to be a mechanism where a person can, first of all, talk to a human being in any Department, where he or she has an opportunity to come in front of a board or somebody to explain his or her real-life story, to prove it, and to ask that it be looked on with empathy in order that the assessor can see he or she did not realise the situation. That happens. My biggest problem is that I raised it with the Minister directly and I have not had any response - I am very disappointed with that - and I have nowhere for this woman to turn to fight her case for herself and her child. That is why I raise it tonight. I do not expect a magic answer from the Minister of State tonight, but at least once it is on the record we can come back and revisit it.

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