Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)

Means-testing for the carer's allowance is not fair on either carers or patients. It could end up costing the State hundreds of millions of euro. The carer's allowance is a weekly social welfare payment to people who care for someone because of their age, disability or illness, including mental ill-health, for at least 35 hours per week over five to seven days. Personal savings should have no impact on whether people qualify for the allowance. Giving of their time to care for someone who is ill takes a large burden off the State and saves it large sums of money annually.

I have been campaigning for years for the removal of the means test, which is counterproductive to the State, to carers and to patients, who are the most important consideration in this. We have more people than ever who qualify as carers by way of assisting on a daily basis in the healthcare of our sick and elderly. We should not be placing obstacles in the way of their receiving the carer's allowance. Otherwise, the State will need to provide the staff, facilities, wages, etc. at an enormous cost.

We have a huge issue with respite provision in County Kerry. I have dealt with many families who have not received a break in six or seven months. I was informed very recently that St. Mary of the Angels in Beaufort is to be sold. It is a phenomenal facility in the heart of the county catering now for young adults - originally, it was children - with profound disabilities.

We also have St. Francis Special School there, which is another amazing facility. I cannot understand or accept that it would be sold off. The land was originally donated by the Doyle family of Beaufort for the benefit of children with profound disabilities and now it is being off-loaded by St. John of God Community Services. I plead with the Minister and everyone involved-----

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