Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair for allowing me in. I want to speak on this subject. I welcome what has been said, and I hope it means foster carers will be eligible for pensions after this. It needs to happen as soon as possible. I met a group of foster carers in County Mayo on Monday, and what they told me was quite shocking, particularly with regard to foster carers looking after children with complex needs. They do not want to have to give up on those children, but they are fighting to try to get the different services and supports for them and it is driving their families into poverty. This is the case in particular where the natural parents live miles away. If the foster carers live in County Mayo and the original parents live in County Limerick or County Dublin, or wherever, the foster carers also have to bear the cost of that travel. There are several issues there, because we do not want to be in a situation where we end up with a limited number of foster carers. I am concerned about the number of foster carers who are about to give up on foster care. I commend them on the job they do.

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