Ann Graves (Dublin Fingal East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this motion. The carer's allowance is a hugely important issue that needs to be addressed. The means test must be scrapped. Members of this Government should hang their heads in shame. In the run up to the recent general election, the Government promised to scrap the means test. Four months after the election, absolutely nothing has been done. There is no plan, detail or timeline. The Government is too busy making grubby deals to actually address the real needs of struggling families. We in Sinn Féin were abundantly clear during the general election that we were committed to scrapping the means test and we would have done so by now. Every day I see the valuable and essential work being done by carers and I also see how they are struggling. This is a 24-7 job, with little support or respite. In my own family, my daughter was a young carer for my mother, who she looked after right until the end of her life. This meant that my mother could stay in the family home, living with dignity, close to family and loved ones and never wanting for anything. This situation is replicated in thousands of homes across the State but it is simply not recognised or respected by this Government or previous ones. The Government needs to listen to young carers, in particular. They regularly look after siblings or parents, while trying to continue their education when they can, with little or no support, in many cases. The impact on their health and well-being is well documented. They are dealing with caring responsibilities while others of the same age are developing and living their lives. The work they are doing needs to be recognised. It is also worth noting that carers save the State €20 billion. Unfortunately, the mean and miserly politics of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, supported by so-called Independents, would rather ignore this fact. I ask the Minister of State to do the right thing by scrapping the means test, increasing the carer's allowance and supporting all care givers.

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