Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling the motion. We can never speak enough about care work and carers in this country. We can all agree that, in a very crude form, carers save the State hundreds of millions of euro per year. We cannot put a price on the care work they do for loved ones and friends.

The discrepancies in care pointed out by Family Carers Ireland are quite shocking. The report is called the State of Caring, but the state of caring is arbitrary and can be very hit-and-miss in terms of respite care, which I will discuss. The survey points out the many things that carers have to endure, in particular financially. They have a reduced income. Many people have referred to the means test for family carers. It is mean that the payment is means-tested. People providing full-time care should not have their income means-tested. Not having such a test would create less of a worry for somebody in that situation.

The survey also refers to care that has to be paid for privately, which is a substantial cost. There are obviously issues with private care, including personal items and items for a house. All of this is a cost, which is not supported by the State. There are also issues around accommodation. Other people have referred to adaptation grants. The application process for adaptation grants in most local authorities takes forever. There must be a more streamlined process in terms of accommodation and making the homes where people are cared for livable.

On the substantive point, namely respite care, it is quite shocking that 75% of people who provide care will have no access whatsoever to respite care. That is unforgivable. People who are providing full-time care do not get any respite at all, which leads to physical and mental stress for them and those they care for. That is difficult. Having no break can have a detrimental effect on caregiving. Respite care is very arbitrary. It is a postcode lottery, where people cannot get particular care.

During the local election campaign, I spoke to a family whose experience is reflected in the report to which I referred. The family has an adult son who is cared for on a full-time basis. They did not get one day of respite in the past 24 years. That is unbelievable. I could not believe it when the mother said the only way she could get respite care was if she told HSE she could no longer look after her son. If she did that, she would get respite care and her son would have to go into full-time care. We can see how unfair the system is for people in that situation.

Redress is needed. We need to go back to the basics of care, in particular around respite care. We need to consider how care in society is distributed because it is arbitrary. Care is an essential part of any caring society. This country is a great country that cares for its families and friends. However, there are discrepancies where people cannot get that public service when they need it. If they cannot get it when they need it, people will feel quite embittered and let down by society and the State. The State has to look after people when they need a rest and intervention. That is really important. The statutory home support scheme must be implemented as soon as possible.

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