Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)

I am disappointed to see that the senior Minister has left the House. Nobody ever gets rich from social welfare. Nobody ever makes a profit from social welfare. We can put that idea to rest in this House and put it on the record. When it comes to carer's allowance, €20 billion is being saved by the State from people caring. We have application forms as long as my arm in which people are meant to give every detail and 37% of those are turned down. Then there is the appeals process. God knows, surely people have enough on their plate when they are caring for their husbands, mothers and their children without having to go through this entire rigmarole about how many times they feed them, dress them, shower them and take them to the toilet. That is the type of intrusive information that people in the Department of Social Protection are looking for. It has been stated well in this House what happens when you become a carer. Many times, when it is dementia-related, not only does the world become very small for the person who has the dementia but also for that carer. Many of those, because of a private pension, an income, a piece of land or a house they have inherited, do not qualify. They cannot get the respite, the carer's allowance and other supports and services around that. That is unfair. It is wrong. Who is caring for the carer? The State certainly is not. They cannot access those extra services that could be made available to them. I have a constituent who drives from Mallow to Blarney Street every day. She cannot get carer's allowance for her father because of her husband's earnings. No other social welfare is related to your partner, your husband or your boyfriend's earnings. No other document is as intrusive as the application form needed to receive carer's allowance.

Women - mothers, daughters and sisters - are the majority of carers. I wonder whether there is discrimination in this regard. That should be tested.

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