Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important motion. However, I want to note my frustration. I have been calling for the abolition of the means test for the entirety of this Dáil term. I have first-hand experience. I was a carer before I was elected. My current secretary is a carer. The value of carers' work in caring for their loved ones should never have been taken for granted, even aside from the estimated savings for the State. Carers feel they have been undervalued, that they are not respected and that their work has not been honoured. They have to fight for everything and for supports and services. Their role carries huge responsibility without much support. They often cannot even go shopping or attend appointments. They put things on the long finger to ensure they are there for their loved one on a daily basis.

The Central Statistics Office, CSO, reported in the last census that the number of people in County Clare providing regular unpaid care rose by 50%. I have no doubt that has increased even further since then. In County Clare, 6.4% of the population give unpaid help or support of this nature. This means County Clare has the sixth highest percentage of unpaid carers nationwide. There are more unpaid carers in County Clare between the ages of 50 and 59 than in any other age bracket, with more than 14% of 50- to 59-year-olds providing unpaid care. The county also has the highest proportion of unpaid carers in the country between the ages of 25 and 29, with more than 4% of people in their mid to late 20s performing unpaid caring duties for a loved one with a long-term illness, health issue or disability. The fact that they have ensured the State has been able to make such massive savings year on year is disgusting and wrong, end of story.

See this speech in context