Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Independent Group for bringing forward this motion.

As someone who has worked as a carer in the disabilities sector for 18 years, I am acutely aware of the struggles facing this sector. This motion clearly sets out the vital role carers and front-line healthcare workers play in our society. The role they carry out every day across Ireland is a quiet but vital contribution to Irish society. They are the backbone of our care system, ensuring older people, people with disabilities or those with high-care needs are given the highest level of dignity possible and supported to live at home for as long as they wish.

As we are all aware, our hospitals are under pressure and we have a growing shortage of nursing home beds. It is family carers and home care assistants who are doing the lion's share of work in reducing pressures on our hospitals and nursing homes by supporting people to carry on living at home. For someone to remain living at home in the community they have known for possibly all their life, it makes an enormous difference to their health and well-being. By the end of February, almost 5,000 people were awaiting home support hours.

The Government needs to get serious about addressing this need because not only are those seeking home care being failed by the Government but family carers and other healthcare workers are too. These workers and family carers have been left to pick up the pieces as a result of Government failures despite their work saving the State €20 billion each year. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Lowry Independents need to stop stalling, scrap the means test on carers and introduce a pay-related carer's benefit. It is time that social protection for people with disabilities and carers was increased.

Approximately 70% of carers are struggling to make ends meet. This is an absolute disgrace and a shame on the Government parties for standing idly by. Across the State, nursing homes are facing increasing stress, with closures due to financial or workforce pressures. Families are paying ridiculously high costs for private care and consecutive Governments have failed to properly invest in public care homes. The continuing notion from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael that the private sector will provide for the shortcomings is only heaping more pressure on families across the State. We need to see significant investment by Government into public nursing homes. By 2030, there will be more than 1 million people aged 65 or older. By 2057, this number could nearly double. Consecutive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments have failed to plan for this demographic shift. It is reckless carry-on.

The Government could quickly put into action measures that would make a meaningful difference. The Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, made a clear recommendation on pay for section 39 workers. This recommendation was accepted by the workers but the Government is stalling. We need to see this recommendation put into effect and ensure funding for section 39 organisations is guaranteed. If the Minister of State was serious about this role, he would have scrapped the means test. He said he would gradually phase it out over the lifetime of the Government. If home carers took that attitude, our hospitals and nursing homes, which are already seriously under pressure, would be bursting at the seams.

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