Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)

I have asked repeatedly for the most perfect system - I credit the Government for it because it got to it eventually - for family carers in terms of the State pension. It is excellent, and family carers have got the State pension they deserve, especially those who were short the 520 credits. The Government should do the same thing for foster carers where they are short and not allow them to get to the age of 66 after giving 30 and 40 years of service to this State looking after children, some of whom have been through the most incredible trauma, without being in a position where they are entitled to a State pension. That needs to be dealt with quickly. I cannot emphasise enough the disappointment for those foster carers, and this at a time when we have more children in or going into State care and fewer foster carers. They are leaving, and based on yesterday's performance in the budget, even more will leave now.

I want to make reference to the carer's allowance and the earnings disregard. We have to remember every time we talk about abolishing the means test for carer's allowance that there were 14 years when there was no increase in that disregard. Therefore, the Government is playing catch-up in a very big way in that regard. From 2008 to 2021, there was nothing for carers. The national carers' strategy was published in 2012. At the time, the carers sat back and said they knew there were no resources and there was nothing being allocated to this strategy and that they would wait. This is how they have been treated, in that they will have to wait again. What was announced yesterday will make a difference, but it should come in a lot earlier than July next year. That is really disappointing.

The Taoiseach mentioned storms. We had the pleasure of Storm Amy in the west at the weekend. Some households in my area of west Roscommon, elsewhere in Roscommon and throughout Galway had four or five days without power. The humanitarian assistance scheme is not being opened. I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy Calleary, about that. It is deeply disappointing and a mistake. He is sending people to a community welfare officer whom people cannot meet or get access to in most communities. We have no contact numbers for a lot of them. It is incredible. We are sending people there to look for exceptional needs payments, which most of them will not get because those are means tested. These are people who were without electricity on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in some instances. Most of them are back now. To add insult to injury, it is some of the same forestry again. I stood in forestry over the weekend. The ESB lads are in the same forestry that they were in January because it has not been dealt with by the ESB. That is a shame and needs to be sorted out as quickly as possible. It is unacceptable that people across Roscommon, Galway, the wider west and other parts of our State are left without electricity and, in many cases, heating because ESB cannot go in and make sure the corridors are cleared of trees. It needs to be dealt with quickly. I ask the Taoiseach to look at the humanitarian assistance scheme. The Government should support the households that have suffered this weekend through no fault of their own.

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