Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

One of the areas I want to concentrate on tonight is emergency care. I have come across a number of cases recently where family carers need that respite care in an emergency situation. I know that Family Carers Ireland has been providing such a service for a number of years and it tells us that that service is underfunded. I ask the Minister tonight to consider through the budget proposals, through her Department and in her cross-departmental conversations tomorrow to look at that emergency care and look at additional funding for Family Carers Ireland to ensure that when a family needs that emergency service, there is respite care available for them. It is a huge issue in this country that when their hour of need comes, there is somebody to answer that call. In fairness Family Carers Ireland has been doing that for a long time now. However, it is underfunded and needs more support. We also need that support throughout the State and not have it determined by a postcode lottery.

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