Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress made to date on the development of a national carers strategy which was supposed to be published by the end of 2007; when this will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12461/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The development of a national carers strategy is a key Government commitment in the national partnership agreement, Towards 2016, and the programme for Government.

The focus of the strategy is on supporting informal and family carers in the community. While social welfare supports for carers are a key issue in the strategy, other issues such as access to respite and other services, education, training and employment are also important. Co-operation between relevant Departments and agencies is essential if the provision of services, supports and entitlements for carers is to be fully addressed. For this reason, an inter-departmental working group has been established to develop the strategy.

My Department provides the secretariat to the working group which is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach. The group also includes representatives from the Departments of Finance, Health and Children and Enterprise, Trade and Employment, FÁS and the Health Service Executive. Developing the strategy involves consultation with other Departments and Government bodies not represented on the working group. Yesterday, my Department hosted a consultation meeting with several organisations including the Equality Authority, Combat Poverty Agency, Citizens Information Board, Pobal, the Family Support Agency, NESC, the National Council on Ageing and Older People, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Further meetings will be held with other organisations in the near future.

A request for submissions from the public was published in regional newspapers during the week beginning 3 March 2008 and in the national daily papers on Friday, 7 March; it is also on the front page of my Department's website. Representative groups and the social partners have been advised of this process. The closing date for submissions is Friday, 18 April 2008 and, to date, 35 submissions have been received.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

A meeting was held on 23 January 2008, in line with my Department's commitment in Towards 2016 to hosting an annual consultation meeting of carer representative groups and relevant Departments and agencies. Representatives of 12 groups and nine Departments and other government agencies attended. The theme was the national carers strategy and groups were given an opportunity to comment on the draft terms of reference and to raise other issues considered relevant in the context of the strategy.

Key issues raised at the meeting were recognition for carers and their work, accessing suitable health services, income support, pensions and access to training and employment. Another meeting with carer groups will be held when the results of the consultation process are available. The commitment to the development of a national carers strategy includes a commitment to appropriate consultation with the social partners. An update on the strategy was provided to the social partners plenary session in February. It is intended that the first consultation meeting with the social partners will be held in April.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Minister is probably aware of and does not need me to point out that every week 161,000 carers are doing 3.5 million hours of work and saving the State more than €2 billion per annum. As the Minister stated in his response, I appreciate that widespread consultation is taking place within Departments and State agencies. However, my concern relates to consultation with the groups representing the carers themselves and this is a key part of the process. As a result of discussions with various people and as confirmed in the Minister's response, I am aware there is no representative from the carers group on the interdepartmental panel which is steering the strategy. Will the Minister say what level of consultation will be conducted with the relevant stakeholders? I appreciate the involvement of the State agencies but I am referring to groups such as the Carers Association, which is the representative body of the people dealing with this area first-hand.

The Minister will recall that this time last year public meetings were held around the country in every constituency prior to the election. Both the Minister and I saw for ourselves how representative the association is of its membership, considering the number of people who turned out to speak at those meetings. It is important that the process allows them to be much more involved. There is genuine concern that there has not been sufficient and appropriate consultation up to now and that a document will be presented as a fait accompli without consultation prior to the document. I ask the Minister to address this issue.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy said, there has been a very substantial public engagement on this issue and all the groups informed us that there was no need to repeat that process. There is direct engagement with all of the stakeholders on the development of this process and particularly with those representing the carers, such as the National Carers Association. Those representatives have also made substantial submissions which will be considered and discussed with them as we come to a conclusion. I presume the Deputy notes from my reply that substantial engagement is now taking place on this issue and it is one of my priorities to reach agreement on the national carers strategy and to have it published and made public. This is a priority not just for the Government, but also figures as a priority for the social partners in Towards 2016. It is an area to which the Government has given significant commitment over the past number of years, particularly in terms of direct resources to those who are caring for people in whatever circumstances they find themselves. We have made direct financial State assistance much more flexible and accessible for people. We have also become much more flexible in terms of allowing people to do some work as well as being deemed full-time carers.

I agree with the Deputy on the importance of completing this process and it is my intention that it will be completed this year. I have indicated that the closing date for submissions is April this year and at that stage I hope we can finalise the report and complete any further discussions with any of the representative groups that need to be completed. I assure the Deputy that I want to it to be an inclusive process.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I will allow a brief supplementary question from Deputy Enright.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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That is not really what I want a commitment on. The National Carers Association will make a submission but it wants a guarantee there will be feedback on that submission and that it is not just taken on board and the document published. If the Minister's Department has difficulties with anything in the submission the association hopes there will be discussion about it rather than an item being either ruled in or out and the document published. The association wants real and active engagement and consultation. I ask the Minister to give a commitment that this is what will happen.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Obviously it is my intention and that of my officials to have as inclusive a process as possible. When one comes to the end of a process, it is clear one is not able to accommodate every single wish of every submission and decisions will need to be made, but they will be made on the basis of what people have said, how the system is working and what is needed for the future development of a national carers strategy.

I was asked about young carers. My colleague, the Minister of State with responsibilty for children, will specifically examine a strategy in the context of young carers, surrounding whom I accept there are also specific issues. We also look forward to its completion.