Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There has been a very obvious increase in the number of cases coming in to my constituency office that concern issues around carers. In particular, more people are coming looking for help in getting the carer's allowance or the domiciliary care allowance. Most applications fail because of the strict adherence to section 179(4) of the carers Act. While it is important to have a set of criteria as a guiding principle for those applying for carer's allowance, it is clear from cases my office deals with that there are many who do not rigidly meet the criteria but there are cases in which common sense and discretion should prevail.

Unfortunately, when deciding officers deny an application, they usually say they are restricted by legislation and quote section 179(4). Basically, even if they see a worthy case, their hands are tied by this legislation and it leaves them with no room for manoeuvre. We also find many carers are not eligible for the payment because of a restriction in the number of hours they can work per week and because this payment is means-tested. We have found that many who fall marginally outside the limits allowed by the means test fail to qualify for the allowance.

The reality is that carers could not be paid enough for the work they do and the money they save the State by providing care in the home for their loved ones. Family members take on an incredible undertaking in caring for someone with a severe disability or serious illness. These people are not professionals but untrained family members who take on difficult tasks to give their loved ones a better quality of life and to ensure they receive a level of care and attention they would not necessarily receive in a State facility. We should not be making it difficult for these people. Many are surviving on low incomes that are well below the average standard of living. We need more flexibility in how the legislation is interpreted and we need to give deciding officers greater discretion when deciding on cases. There also needs to be an increase in the income threshold in the means test for carer's allowance.

See this speech in context