Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)

The Social Democrats have brought forward this motion to abolish the means test for carers, which was promised by this Government, and I am very happy to see there is no amendment to the motion. Carers and people with disabilities cannot wait any longer for the Government to fulfill this election promise. One area that is often overlooked when we speak about carers is education. Family carers are not only the backbone of our care system, saving the State over €20 billion every year through their unpaid labour, but they are also parents, partners and guardians who want the same opportunities for learning, training and participation in society that everyone else does. Yet, the way the carer's allowance is structured today actively undermines those opportunities. Currently, carers may work, study or train for 18 and a half hours a week while still providing 35 hours of care. Many try to upskill or pursue education in order to keep one foot in the workforce, but that rigid means test penalises them. A modest increase in household income, perhaps through a partner's job or small bursary linked to a course, can push a family over the threshold, cutting them off from vital support overnight. These restrictive rules are void of any common sense and are a deterrent to education. Access to education should not be a luxury reserved for those who can afford to risk losing their allowance. Education can help carers reskill after years out of the labour market, improve their mental health through social participation, and allow them to contribute in different ways to society. However, under the current system the choice is often too stark, making them choose care or education but not both. I think particularly of the young people I met in the audiovisual room last year. These young people are caring for family members while going to school and should be able to dream of further and higher education like many young people do. The unfairness of the means test is stark when compared with conditions in other professions, like teaching and nursing and the Garda. They are never told their pay depends on their spouse's income, yet over 70% of carers, the vast majority of them women, are forced into economic dependency through this system. By treating the carer's allowance as a social assistance payment rather than the recognition of essential work, we send a clear and damaging message that care has no intrinsic value unless you are poor enough to qualify for support.

The numbers speak volumes. Approximately 37% of applications are refused. That is nearly 9,500 refusals every year. Appeals drag on for an average of 23 weeks. This is bureaucracy and it is a waste of time and energy that carers could be investing in their families or indeed in their own education. Worse still, some 6,500 full-time carers receive nothing more than the once-off carer's support grant of €2,000 annually, leaving them significantly disadvantaged compared with those who do qualify. This reform is affordable. The estimated cost is €370 million, a figure that can be met, for example, by tripling the bank levy. This is a small price to pay for recognising carers as equal partners in our health and social system. Education opens doors but for too long, carers have found those doors slammed shut by an unfair, outdated and punitive means test. Let us open those doors by removing this barrier once and for all.

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