Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have had this discussion time and again, and several words emerge time and again. Recognition and respect are a great deal of it, but not just recognition and respect. The fact is that when one looks at people in poverty or at risk of poverty in Ireland, three categories of people, namely, people with disabilities, single parents and carers, are consistently up near the top.

I commend the Regional Group on the motion. It is a very good motion that we will support. Countless speakers have identified the significant scale of the number of people who are providing care throughout the State. The fact is that none of those people, and I have made this point previously, who are giving care are doing it for money or anything like that. They are doing it out of a sense of responsibility and love for their loved ones. They are doing all that they can imagine is possible or reasonable under the circumstances they or their loved ones find themselves in. The fact is the system would collapse entirely without them. As a nation and a society we are incredibly indebted to them. It is high time we give that the recognition it is due and that we give carers the support they are due. It is very clear the referendum on care demonstrated the fact that carers felt taken for granted and neglected. It is incumbent on all of us in the House to reflect on that and to see how State policy in the future goes forward. It is very clear that there is a need for radical change.

We can all think of examples from our own lives of people who, for example, are getting minor surgery and all the different things they have to do. The sacrifices that are made are enormous. Very many of these carers have not been on a holiday for years. They rarely get the opportunity to socialise. Very often, the number of people they might meet in a week, or their opportunity to speak to people other than the person they are caring for, is severely constrained. This affects people right across the social classes and it affects people of different ages. There are some very young carers and some very elderly carers. It is vitally important that we support them.

It is important that the Government reflects on this. The budget will be introduced in several days. It seems unlikely that the issue of the means test will be resolved at that stage, but I urge the Minister of State to make sure that this budget, to the greatest extent possible, and I do not believe the Government will go far enough, addresses this issue and ensures that carers are supported.

I will make two points on this issue. Many people have spoken about the people who do not qualify for the allowance, and rightly so because many do not qualify. The point has been made that people can be in situations where there is financial abuse and so on. However, an awful lot of people qualify for only a little bit of carer's allowance. Those people are very often on relatively modest incomes and are under pressure. I also make the point that we should not look just at carer's allowance. We should talk about carer's benefit too. There are people who find themselves in situations where they have to give up their job because somebody has fallen ill, or there has been an accident, or a condition might have been discovered in a person. The cliff edge that is there is very significant. We need to look at a system like the pay-related jobseeker's benefit for carers so there is no cliff edge for carers who have to give up their work. There should be a pay-related scheme based on people's contributions so they do not have that cliff edge, but can taper off and have carer's allowance after that. We should look at both.

The point was made about the means test and the rate. They are not mutually exclusive. The rate has to increase. The fact is people on the lowest incomes who are currently getting full carer's allowance are under very severe pressure as well. We are advocating for an increase of €12 in the rate this year as well as consistent increases. It is not either-or. We can address both. It is important that the rate is increased, however. I commend the motion. I encourage the Minister of State to act on it.

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