Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Carers. It is in the wording. It is carers. I am from a family of 11. In his last number of months and years, people came to care for my father. As a big family, we were able to do much of it ourselves but we had people who came in part-time. I cannot thank people who do that kind of work enough. The dignity and the home life they have, being cared for in their own home, is unbelievable. How many people have left full-time jobs to go and become a carer? Looking at the Government sector, it pays people full-time wages and does not get the full service, yet there are people who are going above and beyond to care for people, whether children or adults, across the board, and the Government treats them like second-class citizen. These are people who, even when they are finished their work, are never finished, because they go above and beyond and do extra hours to make sure that people are cared for. Again, it is in the word carers.

If the Government has learned anything in its last five years, it can see that this sector gives it the best value for money, even though it is working for a pittance compared with what the Government pays other sectors. I ask the Minister of State, for all the carers in Ireland, who, please God, will be there in the future to look after us when we get to all ages, to do the right thing now. The means test needs to be abolished. We also need to make sure that carers are paid proper funding so they can create a future for their own families.

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