Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Deputies for bringing forward the motion. The Government knows well the difference between not opposing something and supporting something. The Minister is around long enough to know the nod in the direction of saying something is a good idea and actively and proactively working for it are two very separate things. I urge the Government to not just not oppose this motion, but also accept it in the spirit in which it is put forward here this morning.

The need to abolish the means test for carers is made up of thousands and thousands of individual needs and millions of hours of care delivered. Behind closed doors, families struggle to care for their loved ones and pay their rising bills. The motion tells us that carers save the State more than €20 billion every year. That is likely an underestimation of the real situation. Caring work is work and just because it is done with love is no excuse for taking advantage. That is effectively what the State does; day in, day out, it takes advantage of the love people have for their family members and the care they deliver. Carers are exploited and exhausted. They are sick and tired of having to beg for every tiny little bit of help and support. When they get that help, it often comes very late and is not enough to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

I was contacted in advance of this motion by a woman from my constituency. I will call her Laura - I generally try not to say people's names - because to be honest, it is humiliating enough the way people have to beg so I will call her Laura. She tells me that she cares for her son. He is now 14 years old. In May, she had to leave her permanent job where she had worked for 23 years in a management and specialist role because the demands of caring and working were gruelling. She could not keep it up anymore. She is not eligible for carer's allowance because of her husband's salary, which is not something we should be saying in 2025. She asked me to remind the Minister that during the previous election, it was promised that the means test for carers would be abolished. She wants to know when that promise will be delivered.

There has been a lot of talk about the cliff edge a person faces and the pay-related jobseeker's allowance was brought in. This woman left her job. We talk about a cliff edge but this woman gets nothing. She gets absolutely nothing. She is punished for making up for the failure of the State to provide adequate services for her son. She is punished for that. I ask the Minister to reflect on that.

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