Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)

In budget 2026, recognition was given, as the Minister just outlined, to the massive contribution that family carers made in Irish society. Progress has been made, albeit not as quickly as some may have liked. Nonetheless, I know that more needs to be done. I have listened to the Minister intently this morning and over recent months. I welcome the fact that the Minister has reiterated here once again that his ambition is still to end the means test for carers in the lifetime of the Government.

Will the Minister outline further his plans for income disregards for carer's allowance? I know he said it would be difficult to forecast it, given the variables he is dealing with, but I ask him to outline his approach and how he intends on doing it in this staged fashion. Will it be in four equal parts over the four years? Will it be a lot more complex than that? He has probably already indicated that it will be. I will revert to the question and ask whether the Minister has any estimate on the number of people who have benefited from the specific measure introduced in budget 2026.

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