Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Sherlock. I know the case he has raised with me, and I understand the point he is making. From a social protection perspective, income is income and means tests are based on income. As I said, we are going to do a review of all the means tests because some, in terms of capital, are around €20,000, a figure that has not been changed in a long time. I expect to be in a position to increase that because €20,000 would buy one a car years ago but would not buy much now. That is the reality of the world we live in. I am happy to look at that.

One of my priorities since I became Minister for Social Protection is to do whatever I can to support our carers because we all know the huge work they do and the contribution they make to our society. In my first budget, I increased the carer's support grant. In budget 2022, I was the first Minister in 14 years to make changes to the carer's means test. This year, I ensured carers got the special €500 carers support grant before Christmas. They also got double payments in October and before Christmas.

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