Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Harkin and the Independent Group for bringing forward this motion. As a result of the policies of this Government and the previous Government, we are living in an age where carers can be classified as underpaid or very badly paid. Despite the fact that carers take the pressure off the hospital system to the tune of €20 billion per year, the best they can expect from this Government is a fight to get the carer's allowance in the first place. If they are successful, they can expect to live hand to mouth, while providing a vital service for the person they care for. To get the carer's allowance, the hoops that people must go through are onerous and in no way recognise the contribution to the State and the person they care for. Time and again I have people contacting me, as do the Minister and every other Deputy, when their application for carer's allowance has been refused due to the situation they find themselves in. I will give one example. One woman's son has numerous health issues. He has COPD, diabetes, heart problems, associated amputations and so on. His mother was refused carer's allowance as his needs were considered to be insufficient. If that does not sound like a top priority for the Minister, as she said earlier, or the Government and if this young man's needs are not considered to be significant, then we seriously need to question the criteria by which applications are measured.

Sinn Féin has repeatedly called for the means test on the carer's allowance and the rules around working hours to be reviewed. We sought a commitment from the Minister to do this and I call on her again to carry this out. If the carer I refer to was to be successful in her appeal under the current system, what would she get? She would more than likely be expected to live with an income that would fall below the minimum essential standard of living. This is how she is valued by this Government and the State.

In addition to the review of the means test, Sinn Féin would allow for rates of carer's allowance and carer's benefit to be increased, with the ultimate aim to bring social welfare rates in line with the minimum essential standard of living over time. We recommend relaxing the carer's allowance means test by way of the income disregard thresholds to increase eligibility for payments.

We have also proposed that eligibility for carer's benefit be extended to the self-employed. If the Government continues to ignore our calls, it will have to answer for that. How does the Government expect carers, who must battle for minimal payments, to continue what they do while also being denied readily available respite and adequate home care hours? This is common, as in the case of one mother in my constituency whose son has special needs, including an uncommon disease involving abdominal deficiency alongside AHD. She has had to cancel her own hospital appointments because she cannot get anyone to look after her son. I have inquired about respite services on her behalf. She has been told to complete and submit a form for assessment. She will have to deal with the waiting list for an actual assessment, which the HSE described as "significant", before she even gets on the waiting list for respite. She has been on the waiting list for assessment for some time and will have to wait further for respite. That is a complete disaster.

The realities on the ground have been laid out for the Minister today. While I understand that she has encountered these issues in the course of her work as well, it is past time for her to act. The Government is not opposing the motion and we welcome that. The Minister now has a chance to show how serious she is about carers by implementing the motion and making carers feel they are appreciated by this Government.

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