Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to appeal to the Taoiseach's better nature on the means test relating to family carers, carer's allowance and half-rate carer's allowance. Statistics from Family Carers Ireland show that carers save the State €20 billion per annum. We are about to put a referendum to the people that lauds carers, and yet we are means testing 95,000 of them. We do not know what the cost of that is in man hours to the Department. However, it does, according to the Secretary General of the Department, save the country €700 million. The HSE would not function without carers who save the country €20 billion per annum. That equates almost to the total budget of the HSE. It is time we took cognisance of what carers do for their families and the country. I appeal to the Taoiseach to abolish the need to means test carer's allowance and half-rate carer's allowance.

See this speech in context