Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome pupils and teachers from Grange Post Primary School in Sligo to the Dáil today. I think they were in the Gallery earlier. I think another school is there now. I am delighted that they got a chance to hear this important debate on carers and caring because the truth is that many of those students will, in time, have to either give care or be the recipient of care. That is the reality for all of us. If we are lucky enough to live long enough, we will either receive care or give care. That is why this debate about supporting family carers is so crucial. For too long, it was seen as women's work and something that happened inside the home. The front door was closed, they were let get on with it and it was forgotten about. Thankfully, there has been recognition, particularly over recent years, that care is not a women's issue but a societal issue. It goes right to the heart of how we live and we construct the society we live in. That is why this Government and all states need to support family carers.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister and all my colleagues who are here today, who made valuable, measured contributions to this discussion. I am pleased that the Government is not opposing the motion. I hope that means that it will respond to the requests in the motion. When we debate matters in this Chamber, it is not just about the words we use. It is about the actions that we take following our discussions. We might not agree on everything. The Minister of State might not deliver everything that I or other Members are looking for but we hope that he and the Minister will be able to deliver for family carers and fully recognise their contribution. Our role today is to make the strongest, best case that we can for family carers.

I listened to the Minister's contribution. She told us she was determined to do more and that she would take on board the points raised in this motion. She said that supporting carers will be a priority for her once again in budget 2024. All of us in this Chamber and every family carer in Ireland will be pleased to hear that commitment. We look forward to this Government meeting and realising that commitment.

The Minister itemised the various supports for family carers provided by her Department. There are a number. Things have certainly improved. Supports and resources have improved, by and large. There are some glaring exceptions, which I will come to in a minute, but they have improved over a number of years. She made the point that the number of carers receiving carer's allowance has nearly doubled in 13 years, from approximately 50,000 to 93,000. The figures do not lie but it is important to remember that 93,000 includes nearly 43,000 on the half-rate carer's allowance, which is a new feature and is welcome. Since half-rate carer's allowance is a newer feature, comparing those two sets of figures is not actually comparing like with like. It is important to remember that of that 93,000 figure, while 43,000 are on a half rate, some of the rest are on a reduced rate of carer's allowance, not the full allowance. I do not have the figures to hand, but from memory, it is perhaps around 10%.

The Minister gave an explanation to one of the issues I raised earlier. It is that the income disregard for a single carer at €350 was less than half the household or family disregard of €750. I was surprised when I saw that. The response she gave me was that the idea of increasing the disregard for a couple by slightly more was to try to help the person who gives up work but was missing out because of his or her partner's income. Maybe, in an obtuse way, that recognises the need of individualisation of the means test for carer's allowance. I will come back to that in a minute but I want to make the point strongly that there is another fundamental issue. Many single carers also give up work and, crucially, the cost of caring is not substantially different in a single household to the cost in a household that has a number of members and other incomes. While I know carer's allowance is not meant to contribute to the cost of caring, the reality is that this is precisely what it does. That is where carer's allowance goes. I ask the Minister to look at this again and check how it impacts on the real world of caring. I ask her to include in that calculation the cost of caring.

I want to come back to the proposal about an individualised approach to the means-testing of carers' payments. The Minister suggested that this might mean moving carer's allowance from her Department to the Department of Health. If that is necessary, that is fine, but we need to fundamentally deal with the gender bias that is inherent in the assessment of the disregard for carer's allowance and move to an individualised model. We need to listen to the citizens' assembly and the Joint Committee on Gender Equality in this regard.

We need to have not just a referendum in November that proposes to replace Article 41.2 with wording that recognises the immense contribution and public good given by Ireland's family carers, which is critical, but we also need to put in place supports and resources for family carers to continue to care. The referendum is good but we then need to make good on that referendum. As well as that, my core ask is that the Government increases the income disregard for the carer's allowance to €900 per week per household, and to at least half of that, €450 per week, for single carers in budget 2024. This will simply mean that the income disregard will just keep pace with average weekly household incomes. That is a basic ask. While I know the Minister of State was not in government at the time, in the document Towards 2016, which was a ten-year social partnership framework agreement from 2006 to 2015, priority action 5 entitled "Caring Responsibilities" gave a commitment in 2006 to expand the limits, that is, the income disregard, for the carer's allowance so that all those on average household incomes could qualify. This was achieved in 2008 but we have gone backwards since then, and we are only asking that the commitment given 17 years ago be finally delivered.

My last word goes to a number of family carers who are in the Public Gallery. I welcome them and thank them for their huge contribution, for the care they provide, for the public good they deliver to Ireland, and for their love. I mentioned this earlier and I was really pleased Deputy Bríd Smith reiterated this point because caring is about love, family, human decency, recognising the needs of others, and responding to them in a humane way. I also want to recognise the representatives from Family Carers Ireland in the Public Gallery who have been tireless advocates for family carers and who provide solid research and evidence-based proposals to support family carers.

I am happy the Minister is not opposing the motion. However, the Minister told us the Government must find a balance and meet competing demands. Looking at the income disregard for the carer's allowance, it must be remembered that it is still not at the level it was at in 2008 and needs to be restored.

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