Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Many of us have spoken about those who do a large amount of caring work in our families and communities, including for those with disabilities. It is fair to say that we have to examine the means test. This is not the first time the Minister and I have engaged on the issue. I am coming at this from the point of view of delivering something that is sustainable. We know the large amount of work that is done by these people and we know that, if we relied on the State to provide the same care, it would cost hundreds of millions of euro. Delivering something sustainable will not be straightforward, but we have to get to that place sooner rather than later.

I recently engaged with the Minister on the back to education allowance. I know of a person who qualified to do a level 5 course over nine months to become a healthcare assistant but who was unable to pursue it due to already having a level 8 qualification even though that qualification was in hospitality. We all know the issues affecting hospitality, and those need to be addressed in and of themselves, but we need to facilitate someone in changing careers and doing something beneficial for society. I have no doubt that the Minister agrees. We just need to find the solution, be it for this person specifically or for everyone who falls into this bracket.

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