Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I propose to share time with Deputy Jonathan O'Brien.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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That is agreed.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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The budget brought forward by Fine Gael and the Labour Party on 5 December has been branded anti-family, anti-children and anti-women. The cuts to the respite care grant in particular give credence to the claim that there is an anti-women agenda. The statistics speak for themselves in that 64% of carers are women. As such, the reduction in the respite care grant will impact disproportionately on women on low incomes. These women might well be part of the workforce and earning a good wage but because they are committed to caring for their loved ones, they are instead on call 24 hours per day and 365 days per year for less than the minimum wage. Carers provide some 900,000 hours of care every day, saving the State some €11 million per day or more than €4.7 billion every year. That annual contribution is five times what the Government pays out to the people who perform this caring service. In this miserly budget, however, the Government had the heartless cheek to cut the respite care grant cut by a massive €325, from €1,700 to €1,375.

In July of this year the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, launched the national carer's strategy. This was rightly seen as a very positive step and was welcomed as such by Sinn Féin. At the launch of the strategy the Minister of State said, "The publication of this strategy sends a strong message to carers that Government recognises and values their selfless hard work and compassion, which enhances the health and quality of life of thousands on a daily basis." One of the main goals of the strategy, she explained, was to empower carers to participate as fully as possible in economic and social life, with respite breaks identified as an important element in that regard. Within five months, however, the same Minister of State had voted to cut the very respite grant she previously applauded. I cannot tell whether this was a case of hypocrisy or political expediency.

This cut comes on top of a host of other cuts and charges, including a reduction in the household benefits package and the imposition of the unjust family home tax. The pain of these attacks will hurt the disabled and families of carers more than most of us can imagine. At the same time, those earning €200,000 and above will lose only €5 per week in additional PRSI liability. Where is the justice in that? I applaud each and every one of the 187,000 carers in this State. In my own constituency of Laois-Offaly the reduction in the respite care grant will affect nearly 7,000 people and their families. The saving of €26 million that the cut will yield is very small in the context of overall expenditure and adjustments. In response to the decision, carers have organised themselves and launched a very fine campaign. They are angry but determined. These people are not for turning and they have my full support.

I take this opportunity to highlight the plight of a constituent of mine in Laois called Teresa. As a full-time carer to two uncles who are blind she receives an income of €306 per week. One of her uncles also has Parkinson's disease and both have a mental disability. One can only imagine the pressure she is under providing her loved ones with the round-the-clock care they require. Her reward from the Government is a mean, Scrooge-like cut in her respite care grant. Teresa has asked me to highlight her circumstances and to ask the Minister to reverse this cut. She loves her uncles dearly but she needs a break like anyone else. The Government is denying her that break, however, because it is more concerned with avoiding taxing the wealthy.

It is within the gift of the Government to retain the full respite care grant. Sinn Féin put forward a range of alternatives in advance of the budget. Our proposal for wealth taxes, for example, based on figures from the Department, would yield €800 million. A standardising of discretionary tax reliefs would have brought in a further €969 million, while a third income tax rate of 48% on earnings above €100,0000 would have raised €365 million.

I ask the Government to do the honourable thing. It should reverse the heartless cut, reinstate the full respite grant and help people who are in dire straits but who are providing a great service to their families, the community and the State.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I had expected the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to be present and had intended to appeal to her to look into her heart and revisit her conscience. However, the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, is present and there is not much point in appealing to him to look into his heart. I do not know if he has one. I do not mean that in a bad way, but we have seen some of the contributions from Ministers over the past week on the respite care grant and carers. One issue that gets lost in all of this-----

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I would not presume anything if I were the Deputy.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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You seem to presume an awful lot.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I do not. I made no personal remarks about you, Deputy.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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If I could continue without interruption-----

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I made no personal remarks about you and it is ill becoming of you to make such remarks about me.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Let us calm down a little.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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It is presumptuous. It ill becomes you.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will not take lectures from the likes of-----

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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You started it.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Can I finish?

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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You started it. I did not make any charges against you.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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This is not a playground.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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You are the one who made charges. Substantiate it.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Calm down and allow Deputy O'Brien to continue.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I substantiate it with the fact that the Minister is heaping misery on tens of thousands of carers through the cuts he made last week. That is all the evidence I need to realise where you are coming from.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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You referred to my heart or my lack of heart, with respect.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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With respect to the carers listening to this debate, behind every carer there is the individual for whom he or she provides care. That individual has rights.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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And I know nothing about that?

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Did I say you did not?

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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You did, actually, in your initial remark.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Let us continue with the debate.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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My apologies, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I was provoked by the remarks of my colleague.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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There is very little time for contributions.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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There is no need to apologise to me or the House. The Minister should apologise to the carers.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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The sincerity is dripping from you.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister should listen, for once, to what people have to say.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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You attacked me.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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If the Minister would just listen for a moment, he might get an understanding of what people are going through.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I listen to people out there, not to hypocritical yokes like you dripping with hypocrisy.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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If you listened to people out there, you would not be coming in here to vote for cuts to respite care grants.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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You are dripping with hypocrisy.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Let us get back to the debate.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I know what it is like.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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So do I.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy O'Brien, please speak through the Chair.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Up to last August, my mother was a full-time carer for my father, who passed away from motor neuron disease-----

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I make no assertions, Deputy.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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-----so do not tell me what carers do.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I made no assertions against you.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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There can be no more interruptions.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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It was a personalised attack without any justification.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I just justified it.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Your head is dropping with the weight of hypocrisy.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Speak through the Chair, Deputies.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I just justified it. You come in here and talk about the role of carers and how-----

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I have said nothing about carers, with respect.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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In the past you have.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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When?

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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You are a member of this Government and it has implemented cuts which are absolutely devastating tens of thousands of families-----

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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When?

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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-----throughout this State. I will not take any lectures from you in here.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Deputy and Minister to both please-----

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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It would be more in your line to go out and speak to the carers whose respite care grants you have cut.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I have, constantly.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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That is an even worse reflection on you. You have spoken to those carers and I presume the Minister claims to understand them.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I do.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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If you did, you would not proceed with the implementation of those cuts.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Churchill said there are a hundred thousand contradictions in a good man's life, and in a bad man's life there are too many to count.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Deputy and Minister to continue with the debate. There is very limited time.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I have heard members of your party-----

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy should speak through the Chair.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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-----today in the Seanad criticising political figures for raising this issue.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Who?

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Senator Hayden.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Saying what?

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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She said that Opposition politicians who dare raise the issue of cuts to respite care grants are doing so for their own political purposes.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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She can answer for herself.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I did not say she could not.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy O'Brien, you have only half a minute left. Please stay on the carers issue.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Indeed.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will. I refer to a particular point in the motion tabled by the Technical Group. I commend it to the Minister. Perhaps he will discuss it with the Cabinet. It is the need to put in place transitional arrangements to facilitate people who are long-term carers and who, due to the death of a loved one, wish to return to work or education.

In my mother's case, she cared for my father for so long that when he passed away she was at a loose end and did not know what to do with herself. In addition to trying to deal with the grief of losing a husband, there were no supports in place to help her through that difficult period. She was caring for somebody for 24 hours each day, seven days a week, and had a house full of people calling to visit, as well as public health nurses and people from Marymount Hospice and the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association calling to see my father to give him the supports he required. When he passed away she found herself living alone, with an unbelievable sense of grief. She is now seeking to do something more with her life, but there is little opportunity for her to do so. She and thousands of other carers have saved the State hundreds of millions of euro through the service they provided for their loved ones. Unfortunately, however, when the loved ones die, those individuals are left to one side. They get no thanks, although they are not looking for any. However, the least they could get from the Government is the support to help them to integrate back into society. It should give them support to enable them to access education or training, or provide some form of support to enable them to get over that grief.

The Minister is sitting there but he is not really paying any attention.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is over time.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister is more interested in his telephone than in this Deputy's contribution.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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No, you have more interest in your heart issue.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Is the Minister more interested in his telephone than in listening to this contribution?

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I am listening simultaneously.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Deputy. I must call the next speaker.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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There are no hypocrites in this House besides the Minister and his Government.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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We will see about that.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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We will, and I will take no lectures from the likes of you.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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You started it.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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You did. You were like a six year old.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Minister and Deputy, it is the week before Christmas. Allow Deputy Buttimer to speak.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am glad I was not heckling.

This Private Members' motion is extraordinary, to say the least. It does not address in any way the core problem the nation has of how to rectify our economic situation while recognising that the Government is spending an inordinate amount of money to fund our public services. We borrow €42 million per day. The Government has delivered a difficult and tough budget which ensures that those who can pay the most will pay the most. A total of €500 million extra will be paid by the high earners. This has not been recognised by the Members on the other side of the House. I have great respect for Deputy O'Brien, as he knows, but when Sinn Féin Members speak about social welfare or social protection, they fail to recognise that the Northern Ireland Government is doing the opposite to what they say. That is the reality, and the facts speak louder than-----

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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The rates are set in London.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The same applies here. We no longer have our economic sovereignty.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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The rates are set here.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am glad that, for once, the Deputy recognises that we must go to the troika, the EU and the IMF. That is the reality.

The Fianna Fáil Party cut €16.50 from core social welfare payments. It baffles me to hear Deputy Martin speak on the Order of Business, given that he sat in Cabinet for 14 years and acquiesced to and supported the McCreevy-Ahern economic model.

He was a cheerleader for them. The Government protected core social welfare payments and ensured income tax rates remain the same. Yesterday's economic figures indicate that light is emerging in a very dark period of our lives. There is much focus on the cut to the respite care grant, which is one many wish was not made. The grant is a once-off payment and is being reduced to the level paid in 2006 and 2007. I would prefer if the grant was not reduced but I recognise we have maintained the half rate carer's allowance and the full carer's allowance. This is to be commended. In addition, there is an increased tax take from high earners through an unprecedented means. Property tax will ensure those who are more wealthy will pay more than their fair share and unearned income will be hit for the first time. This is an unprecedented economic situation and there is an acknowledgement by the Government that the budget is difficult on everyone. We must ensure people are in jobs and we must create and retain jobs.

For the first time, the Government has published the national carers strategy, which recognises the valuable contribution of carers. We must acknowledge, pay tribute to and thank carers. This is a Government of renewal and it will create a roadmap for economic prosperity for the country. It will not be like the past, which was built on a false premise of property. The budget is about ensuring good governance and a new way of doing business, which will create jobs through attracting foreign direct investment. Those who can pay more will pay more.

Repairing and rebuilding our economy requires a sacrifice from all of us. We should show leadership from the top to the bottom. It is happening in our society. Some 40% of our budget is spent on social protection, which is an acknowledgement that the Government must protect and support some people. The budget is about getting our country back to work. I would rather see people in a job than idle and unemployed.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to share time with Deputies English and Regina Doherty. In the time available I will not have the opportunity to speak at length on this important topic. In the context of an emotive debate on carers, politicians are tempted to give extreme examples from their experience. No two examples are the same and it is very complex for any individual household dealing with the daily life of caring. It is important to give extreme examples because the manner in which we treat extremes defines us as a society. One example from my constituency is a mother of a 23-year-old man. She changes his nappies regularly during the day, which is a 24/7 job. She gets respite through day services five days a week. In the days before the budget, I raised the cut to the respite grant to flag my concern about future service reductions in respite care for people with disabilities. I am thinking of the extreme example, the 24/7 parent of young adults. The work is so intense that we cannot understand it unless we live it. It is difficult for people in that situation to articulate what it is like without being angry all the time. The issue becomes muddied in that case.

The bus collects the son at 9 a.m. and he returns at 4 p.m. In that time, the mother has respite, relief and downtime and she lives her life in that period. In that time, she mops the floor, washes the dishes and does the clothes. Living her life involves doing those chores. During care of her son, whether at 2 a.m. or 4 a.m, she or her husband must go into the bedroom to ensure the quilt has been pulled up around their son because he is unable to do it himself. I am attempting to get into the head of someone and describe what it is like but it is futile because I do not know what it is like. To a degree, I and my colleagues can empathise. People with children, changing nappies on a daily basis, can also empathise. For them, there is light at the end of the tunnel because the nappy changing stops at the age of three years. What happens to the parent of the 23-year-old, the 26-year-old or the 32-year-old who continually changes nappies? The parents' concern is who will do the job when they pass away. We define ourselves as a society in terms of how we treat these individuals.

I am trying to articulate that service plan reductions will be made by the HSE. I am calling on unions, civic leaders and those who have a good conscience within the HSE to examine other ways to make 3% or 5% cuts in the service plan for people with severe disabilities. The services are vital to people who require the services in their daily lives. I call on unions and leaders in the HSE to address this. We are all too quick to blame the administrative end, saying that civil servants are doing desk jobs and that their jobs are protected. However, these people are in leadership positions to define and decide where cuts will be made. I am calling on them to use all their resources. The HSE is not an autonomous and independent body but it has varying degrees of independence and autonomy and there must be ways of protecting the most vulnerable in society. The way we treat the most vulnerable and the way we map out a process where we look after the most disadvantaged is significant. If we take away day services from those who receive respite care, the parents will not have the physical or mental capability to deal with their children in the house on a 24/7 basis. In an economic context, it will cost more in the long run.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion, which covers a wide range of services, needs and desires of carers. I agree with much of the motion. Regardless of what happened in the budget, this area needs serious investigation. The motion refers to designing a tailor-made plan for each individual who needs care, help and support.

"Design a service" are the actual words used. We need to design a plan for each person.

We must look at the overall spend on caring for people with disabilities, the elderly and people with various ailments. We can do more with the available money. The people who need the money spent on them, around them, with them and on their carers could get more from the State without an increase in the spend. There are many areas where we could reform and rearrange how we spend. We must look at all the budgets and not pit one Department against another. Even within Departments community care vies with other care budgets, for example.

I have worked in the accounts end of the old health boards and I have seen all the categories, cost centres and places where money is spent. There is not much joined-up thinking across those sectors. That is the reform the Government must tackle. Everyone must become involved in that reform.

In a debate on another issue last week, I said we need to use our imagination but we also need to hear from everyone in the service how things can be done better. Money is going to waste and some systems are not right.

I will focus on a number of key areas. At the time of the budget some carers came to my office to protest. I met 15 or 16 carers, along with 15 or 16 activists from Sinn Féin who joined in for political reasons. It is a pity they were there, but that is what they do. Nevertheless, we had a chance to discuss the issue at length with the carers. Most of them had been to my office over the years. Whether I am in Opposition or in Government I recognise what they do for the country and for their loved ones. We could never pay them enough. Thousands would not be enough for the work they do. Most of them talked to me, not so much about money as about services for their loved ones.

The majority of people who have contacted me on this issue, and I have spoken to hundreds, are people with disabilities and their carers. I accept that care for the elderly is vital and their carers also need the respite grant. The majority who are affected, however, are people who care for children, sometimes adult children, and loved ones who have a disability. They need the respite care grant, the domiciliary care grant and all the other payments purely to add to the pot to buy extra for the person they are caring for. The respite grant is no longer used solely to provide a break for the carer. It now provides the means to buy extra services. Our discussion was about getting services for their loves ones, getting more help, more hours tuition for a child with autism, physiotherapy or swimming lessons. Respite has become a much broader area.

This convinces me even more that me must look at the overall package. There is a duty on all of us, even with tough budgets, to find ways to get people the services they need. Respite care needs to be dealt with through community services and by the HSE, which does provide respite care for some but not everyone. We must completely rethink how we do this, and do it very fast. I accept that this cut is very harsh on people and will put them under great difficulty, but we can move fast to close the gap. I gave a commitment to the people who came to my office that I will work on this issue and that we will rearrange how we do things to make up the difference in the money.

Respite has become expensive in the last number of years, and it should not be so. The overall package and services are what concern people.

We do not listen sufficiently to parents and carers. Not enough common sense is built into our systems and this has been building up over a long number of years. We must bring back common sense. It is common sense to make a decision about carer's allowance, not in one or two years, but in a reasonable timeframe. Do we make decisions on domiciliary care allowance in a reasonable timeframe? I believe 12 weeks is the target. That may not be realistic in the current climate but two years is not good enough. A year and six months is not good enough either. We must come up with a solution.

There are plenty of staff working in the public sector who could be switched over to the areas where there are backlogs, whether in medical cards, domiciliary care allowance, carer's allowance or whatever. It is not good enough that carers, who have enough problems and enough to do with their time, should have to worry and spend time chasing paperwork and filling in forms to get the help they need.

I said when I was in opposition and I say now that we must provide a single place where a carer can go to find services. A carer of a child with a disability should be able to go to one place and access all the services and help that is needed. That place should fight for carers. We have done this for small businesses. We have provided a single place that will deal with nearly 50 or 60 licences and requirements. The same needs to be done for people who need State help to raise and mind their loved ones.

We have a duty to do more. It is not just about money. It is about reforming our systems and getting them right. I hope this debate will feed into that. We will get there if we continue to focus on this issue.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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There are 13 minutes to be shared by Deputies Regina Doherty and Áine Collins. I suggest eight minutes for Deputy Doherty and five for Deputy Collins. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Ireland's 161,000 family carers play a vital role in our health and community care sectors. Carers contribute about €11 million every day, providing 900,000 hours of care daily and saving the State more than €4.7 billion every year. The recent 2011 census found we have a 16% increase in the number of carers since 2006. They put in an estimated 3.5 million hours every week, saving the State €2.1 billion per annum.

We all know it is about much more than just that. They are our invisible army. I try to be positive most of the time but I found it a little disingenuous of some members of the Opposition to present themselves as having a monopoly on caring. There is not a person in the House who is not affected in some way, through someone they know, love or care about, by the issues that have been raised recently by the budget cuts.

We must remember it was the previous Government that scrapped the National Carers' Strategy in 2009. In July of this year, the current Government kept its commitment and published the National Carers' Strategy, signalling the Government's commitment to recognising and respecting carers as key care partners and responding to their needs across a number of policy areas. This strategy complements reforms occurring or being considered in community care across aged care, disability, mental health, primary health care and our hospital systems. The Carers Association welcomed the strategy as an important first step and noted that this is the first time a Government has recognised that carers are key players and providers in our health system.

The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, said recently that she hopes carers will now be recognised, supported and empowered. The strategy says the value and contribution of carers should be recognised and their inclusion in decisions relating to the person they are caring for should be promoted.

Caring touches, or will touch, every family in Ireland. I would like sufficient supports to be in place to enable carers to have lives of their own alongside caring. Many carers feel strongly about their contribution to society, which they feel is still underestimated and unrecognised. Instead of being supported, they often find their needs are overlooked, they have to fight go get support or that the available supports are insufficient or of poor quality. Carers say caring can be rewarding, giving relatives the best care possible, giving back to relatives and close friends who provided care themselves, and giving them a strong sense of family, community and friendship.

The cost to them, however, is considerable. One in five carers gives up work to care. Carers are twice as likely to suffer from ill-health and many struggle to make ends meet. We have a duty to support our carers in managing their physical, mental and emotional health, as well as their well-being. Through the provision of adequate information, training and services, they should be empowered to participate as fully as possible in economic and social life.

This means that, as a society, we need to think differently about how care is provided and how we support families who decide to provide that care. Just as increased participation of women in the labour market led to more and better provision of child care, so care services should and must be seen as an enabler as our population ages.

The Government has pledged to strengthen awareness of the role of carers and recognise their needs through income supports. The strategy also commits to supporting the development of supports and services and to protecting the physical, mental and emotional well-being of carers. It aims to provide better training and access to the labour market for carers and give them access to respite breaks.

The role of care organisations and the voluntary sector is universally highly praised. We need to recognise the importance of building the capacity of the voluntary sector and the potential benefits of care representative organisations, combining their efforts to ensure that views of carers are communicated more effectively at a national level.

A major challenge for the future is how to enable people to balance care and their other responsibilities, including work. There is an urgent need to increase awareness among employers and the representative bodies of the contributions made by carers. Caring is an expression of care, respect and affection for another person and, as such, the true value of care, and the support provided by carers, cannot be fully, objectively quantified. I pay tribute to the invisible army of carers, who day in, day out sacrifice their lives to support their loved ones. They are special people and they deserve our support to ensure they feel valued and supported in managing their caring responsibilities with confidence and are empowered to have their own lives outside of the care they give.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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I congratulate Deputy Halligan on tabling this motion on behalf of the Technical Group. It is also timely this should be discussed after the debate on the cut in the respite care grant last week. The motion provides for supports, both in income and in other ways, that would recognise carers and would show clearly we as a society and as a State value them and the work they do.

It has been widely stated in the House the contribution carers make to the State but it is worth saying again. Carers save the State more than €4 billion annually and the expenditure of €771 million in support pales into insignificance when compared to this saving.

The Government amendment last night started off by crowing about the Government view that the financial supports provided in Ireland are far greater than elsewhere in Europe. Is that meant to be some great comfort for carers? The reason supports might be the highest in Europe is that successive Governments have refused to provide any services worth talking about for citizens in need of care. Governments have decided the easier option is to provide money to carers, rather than providing support for patients, and the reason for that is explained in the savings the State accrues from the care the carers provide.

The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, also stated the respite care grant is higher now than it was in 2002. That is really something to be proud off; ten years on, carers should be able to expect the grant would recognise the increased costs they face and the fact it goes to providing much needed resources for their loved one. It is telling that only 5,000 of the 76,000 people in receipt of the grant are not receiving another carer's payment. This shows the grant is an income support and should not have been cut in such a callous way.

The Minister of State said our budgetary challenges did not preclude the publication of a national carers strategy. It is good to know the Government can still produce reports in these difficult times. The vision statement of the strategy is worth outlining in the House. It states carers will be recognised and respected as key care partners and they will be supported to maintain their own health and well-being and to care with confidence. It goes on to say they will be empowered to participate as fully as possible in economic and social life.

Apart from the complete lack of any concrete commitments in the strategy that could be seen as clear deliverables, the vision statement itself shows the strategy will fail, and is failing, carers. There are not many carers in our society who feel recognised and respected. Where was the consultation with carers about their needs in the run up to this budget? The strategy states they will be supported to maintain their own health and well-being. How can that be squared with the cut to the respite care grant? Yesterday on the radio, I listened to a woman who returned from England to look after her mother who cannot get any support because of the habitual residence condition. They must both live on less than €200 per week. Surely this will affect their health and well-being, having to survive on so little and fight a bureaucracy that will not respond to their clear needs.

One of the national goals of the carers strategy is to provide for the training needs of carers. The Minister of State really had to search to find this one. Clutching at straws, she had to go back to 2008 to find some evidence of support for training, citing the Dormant Accounts Fund allocation of €1.8 million for training. One group received €10,000 to train carers five years ago. How can the Minister of State even think about putting that into her contribution?

We were then treated to a lecture about how the markets determine our policy and that we must placate them to be able to borrow on them again. To imply this was done in response to the markets because the Government had no option but to do this is disingenuous in the extreme. As if the markets will look at how we support carers and decide on the viability of our economy on that basis. The only thing that matters to them is whether they will be repaid.

They probably have not been able to believe their luck, in that this Government has continued the policies of Fianna Fáil, ensuring it gives back every penny. Societies that have a greater measure of social cohesion, such as the Scandinavian economies, are far more likely to be able to continue to pay their bills. In general, the economic crisis has not shown in those countries in the past five years. That is the type of society we should be trying to build, rather than pander to the so-called markets.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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I find this matter particularly puzzling because although so little money is involved it causes so much damage, hurt and pain to so many people who are doing so much good. The cut of this sword, which saves €26 million, could hardly be taken by human beings who consider the needs of their fellow human beings. There is a tendency in the cuts imposed that make some of us believe they have been made by civil servants somewhere, who can see figures - cuts here, possible savings there - but cannot see human beings at the other end of those figures. If one wanted to save €26 million, there are thousands of other ways to do it besides hurting people who are doing so much good.

I am not some sort of bleeding heart socialist. I do not believe that books should not be balanced.

A Deputy:

You are heading that way.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Nobody ever suspected Deputy Ross of being that.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State. I do not for one moment believe we should go out and complain about all the cuts. I believe the books should be balanced. Why, in the name of God, if the Government wants to save €26 million, can it not look elsewhere? Why can it not do something about the quangos about which this Government promised so much but has done so little? There is waste in the semi-State companies which could be cut at the drop of a hat. The idea that the Government cannot save another €26 million elsewhere, thereby saving so much trouble to the carers and those whom they look after, is unbelievable.

What about the high echelons in the Civil Service about which we have talked so much? Why could the Government not have saved €26 million there? Why could it not have saved €26 million in increments? We simply cannot afford them at this time. I am sick and tired of mentioning this but why can the Government not save €26 million from the pension fund industry? One and a half years ago I asked the Taoiseach to look at this and he promised to do so. I asked him why he was taking 0.6% from the pension funds when he could take hundreds of millions from the industry, which exploits the pensioners and earns enormous sums of money. Nothing is being done about this because a quango, the Pensions Board, sits at the top of that industry protecting it. Although it could save €26 million there and at the drop of a hat, the Government takes it from people who are vulnerable and unable to defend themselves. What is so ugly about this particular cut is that the carers are the last people in this country who can defend themselves because they are on the job, perhaps 24-7, perhaps not. Everybody knows they cannot walk off the job and that is why this is so odious. These guys cannot walk away and leave their family or loved ones alone, unprotected and not looked after. The Government might as well have taken €50 million from them because it would have got the same reaction and the carers would not have been able to do very much about it.

On the general issue, I accept the Government has a point although it is wearing a bit thin, but on this issue fingers should be pointed at Fianna Fáil too, for that party also made cuts. Of course it did. On this issue, the Government should come forward and state the real reason it made this cut. I cannot understand it. I can understand a civil servant doing it because civil servants are paid to take a look at a few figures and cut €26 million here or there. However, I cannot understand why politicians would do this and cause so much mayhem and suffering for so little money. These carers earn their social welfare. There are many people who do not earn their social welfare although they get it for a very good reason. However, the carers are very special people because they are actually doing a job and are being paid for their social welfare. It is still politically unpalatable to say so but there are areas where social welfare could make savings. There are dole dodgers. There are people exploiting social welfare and there does not appear to be the political will to stop that. It is the easy option that is being taken here, the cowardly and ugly option.

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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This is a little baffling. We hear constantly we must balance the books. That is all that is important. I understand that and understand we must make things add up. The Government is answerable to the troika and must do what it is told. If that is the case, perhaps the Government should explain the situation about carers to the members of troika. If it is about money, it should explain the equation to them.

Imagine that I am a carer. The Government gives me a tenner. What do I give back to the State? I give €50 back in the service I provide. I get this €10 note; I give the State this €50 note. It is fairly simple and I imagine the troika might understand it. I do not know whether I am allowed to hold up this money.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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No, Deputy, even though it is the week before Christmas.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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I will take it.

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I have no respect for this money anyway. We should never have left our currency.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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It is not for display.

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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The reality is that even if the Government did not give a damn about carers, did not care that it is nice to stay at home with one's family where one might live longer and be happier, where everything would work out better for society, and even if the Government ignored all of that and just looked at the money equation, then it is a fairly good deal. It is all about money; nothing else matters. I have been hearing that ever since I came to this House. The Government gives the carers a tenner and they give €50 worth of value to the State. That is a really good deal. One would imagine if there was a chance of getting a deal like that from somebody, one would hold that person high, praise them and cheer them on and say: "Keep doing it because we are getting a good deal here." What do the carers get instead? They get told they should be damned well thankful for getting what they do. Look at what people get in Northern Ireland. I do not give a damn what they get in Northern Ireland. I do not care what they get in Afghanistan or China or the USA. What I care about is whether what they get is enough to survive here. When Government speakers talk about what people get in the North, that is irrelevant. What matters is what it takes to survive here. The State is getting good value but it does not seem to appreciate this.

One would imagine also that if the Government was getting a good deal from somebody, it would not make it difficult for them to strike a deal. I will give an example of a person who wants to strike a deal with the State, who is prepared, for €10, to give €50 worth of value to the State. My secretary wrote to me today to tell me the torture she is going through with this, saying that in regard to the carer's allowance, applications from last December are now being dealt with. That means the average waiting time is 12 months from the date of application. We have had numerous people asking us about the carer's allowance, the most recent application dated 18 December, which is just being dealt with. There are people who want to do this great deal with the Government, those from whom it gains financially, but it will not even deal with them. Nobody, or no Government, could be that incompetent. In a year, it could not get things together to pay somebody for the deal. One would have to conclude there is a policy of hoping these people will go away and stop annoying the Government.

That appears to be the policy. This example of an individual would prove that as far as I am concerned. A lady, who has appealed her decision for a carer's allowance, contacted me. We were told that this week she had failed to pass the medical side of things again. She has cared for her partner full time for more than 18 months and she is in an awful state. Her partner has had prostate cancer since 2007. He underwent radiotherapy where his bowel was damaged and as a result it bleeds on a continuous basis. He has had five operations in St. Vincent's University Hospital and will go for another one in January. His clothes need to be changed constantly and he basically needs 24-hour care. He is only 69 years of age and also has other conditions, including asthma, a heart condition and a major kidney problem. Yet he is refused on medical grounds. The Government should recognise a good deal when it sees one. If it is all about money, it should recognise it. It should forget about the people, we know that has happened. The Government should just think about the money because €60 is a good deal.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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I am delighted to be able to speak on tonight's motion and I compliment Deputy Halligan on tabling it and the Technical Group on supporting it. I am slightly concerned about Deputy Ross and the seating arrangements here because we had confusion last night over the votes in the House. I am worried to see Deputy Tom Fleming and him sitting between the two hard left Members and he is supposed to be on the hard right, but I know he is not on the hard right either. I am sure we will sort that out later. I compliment him on his understanding of the carers' situation. None of us needs to claim credit - the carers do a tremendous job 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

It is not me for to lecture Deputy Áine Collins and the Ministers of State, Deputies McGinley and Perry or anything else. The carers are a special group who work 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and represent great value for money. I am a member and I proudly wore the badge until someone from their organisation pulled it off me outside the gate last Thursday. I wear the badge with honour and respect. Councillor Richie Molloy, an Independent councillor and manager of services for Tipperary carers, and all those involved in the committee are tremendous people. They organise treasure hunts on St. Stephen's Day and on the August bank holiday, coffee mornings and table quizzes. We all know what they have to do to supplement the few bob carers get.

The real carers are in the home and caring for the people such as the person Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan mentioned. Goodness knows, any one of us could be one of those soldiers any time soon and we could need care. Then we will know about the harsh system where people must wait 12 months for an application to be processed and two years for an appeal, which is downright disgraceful. We cannot allow this. In a modern country that calls itself a democracy, this is a charade. It is a blockage and amounts to telling them to go away, as Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan said. While we certainly need to make cuts and balance the books, we are only talking about €26 million here. The €1,700 allows carers to take a break once a year and, by God, they are entitled to it. Often they do not get the break because sometimes they bring the person for whom they care with them and other times they spend the time phoning home because they are attached and really do care.

The Government has also cut the home help so that people are getting half an hour instead of an hour and a half. The home-helper would not have the key turned in the front door to come in before the time would be up. What happens is an insult to the dignity of human beings. People can say what they like about the last crowd - I was one of them - but they protected the carers at all costs because they had some bit of connectivity with the ordinary people. We lobbied hard at all times for the carers and fought for them.

Last year the Government rowed back on the decision on the DEIS schools which involved a larger amount of money. I appeal to the Government to find the €26 million elsewhere, because it can be done. It could be done if the Minister of State looked to his right and talked to the mandarins in the Department of Finance. They can come up with figures out of the sky such as the €500 million from property tax. They do not care where it comes from once it does not come from them. The Government should go after those people. It should go after the increments it is paying them - not the lowly civil servant or the lowly man with a shovel on the road or working at the front desk, but the fat cats in the Department who advise the Minister of State and send replies to parliamentary questions to Deputy Áine Collins, me and others stating that the Minister has no responsibility in the area. It is a charade and it is time they were found out and dealt with. The Government should take it where it can get it and not be demonising the carers who are proud people who do so much work for their families, relations and loved ones. They save a fortune in hospital bills and save people waiting on trolleys and waiting for beds.

There is something morally wrong and corrupt with the system when we penalise these people and let off the people who should be taxed. The Department will claim it cannot do a means test for child benefit, which is a lie. It is a lazy, inept, unenergetic fallacy that they are portraying. It is time they were woken up and told to take the money where it can be got and leave alone people who are giving so much to their families and saving the State so much money. It has gone badly wrong. It happened with the previous Government, is happening with this Government and will happen with the next Government. The permanent government needs to be dealt with and called aside. Those people do not need increments because they are well cushioned. I hope they will not need carers because they will get very poor care.

Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)
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I quote:

Carers will be recognised and respected as key care partners. They will be supported to maintain their own health and well-being and to care with confidence. They will be empowered to participate as fully as possible in economic and social life.

This brutal and vicious cut will only save approximately €26 million, which at 0.14% of a €20 billion budget is a drop in the ocean. In the general election campaign both Government parties claimed that the most vulnerable would be protected, but this is exactly the opposite. Both parties are reneging on yet another commitment. There were choices and the Government could have achieved savings elsewhere or could have imposed tax increases elsewhere. I repeat what I have said in this House on numerous occasions. The wealthiest 5% of people in this country have €239 billion in assets. The same people over 2009 and 2010 increased their assets by €46 billion - these are not my figures but CSO figures. The wealthiest 10% of people in this country increased their income over the recession by 6%. These are people who doing well out of the recession but the Government will not take a ha'penny from them. Why is there not a wealth tax or an asset tax as in other countries? Such a tax was introduced by a Fine Gael Minister years ago in the 1970s. If that tax was in place today it would be bringing in approximately €2 billion a year and there would be absolutely no necessity for these cruel and miserly cuts on people who are working above and beyond the call of duty for every minute of every day of every year.

I want the Minister of State to address this question. I have been dealing with applications for carer's allowance for many years. The Department of Social Protection has been given a political instruction to refuse carer's allowance.

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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Hear, hear, dead right.

Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)
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I have seen it over the past 25 years and I know that two years or 18 months ago, people who were being refused now would have got it without any difficulty. They should be getting it and I want the Minister of State to address that point. There has been a political instruction to the Department to change the criteria for carer's allowance so it can be refused.

The delay in applications is another disgrace. I heard a case recently where it took 51 weeks to get a decision for a carer looking after a quadriplegic, wheelchair-bound child whose application should have been approved within six to eight weeks if right was right. The Minister of State should address that issue urgently.

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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Thousands of family carers are propping up Ireland's fragile health system, yet recent policy developments highlight the expanding role they will play in the future with fewer patients in our hospitals, shorter hospital stays and an increasing focus on community care. The contribution of family carers to the economy has been estimated to be worth in excess of €4 billion each year, yet the delivery of this highly valuable service to our older and vulnerable adults and children with special needs does not come without significant personal cost to carers. Research has consistently identified that carers are an at-risk group for negative well-being as they have higher than average rates of depression, chronic illness, injury and poverty due to the physical, emotional and financial demands of caring.

In census 2011, the statistics showed that in respect of health, disability and carers, 595,335 people, representing 13% of the total population, had one or more disabilities and 106,270 disabled people, representing 18% of all disabled persons, lived alone at the time of the census, which was April 2011. The census also showed that 187,112 persons, or 4.1% of the total population, provided unpaid assistance to others in 2011. These are very significant statistics as these people providing intermittent, casual care are not receiving remuneration from the State. Therefore, substantial savings are accruing to the State through the often unrecognised and invisible form of support. What these people provide and contribute is unrecognised.

Carers who are in receipt of social welfare protection payments and on call 24-7 have suffered an average cut in income support of 5% in the budget, which is more than twice the average cut in income support for other recipients of social protection payments. I believe this is working out at approximately 1.8%. The Government claims it has protected core payments for family carers in the budget, but the respite care grant is a core payment for family carers that allows them to buy home and residential respite care occasionally as well as meet everyday additional costs of caring in the home. As Deputy Healy remarked, an adjustment of the required €26 million to rescind the cut and return to the pre-budget situation works out at 0.14% of a budget of approximately €20 billion in total, so it is a minute amount. It is within the capacity of the Government to readjust the budget, right the wrong and enable and assist these families to give a quality of life to their loved ones and to get a reasonable break and rest time. Many of these carers are under extreme pressure and are vulnerable to negative elements in respect of their health and well-being. It is astounding that many of the carers whose applications are being refused for the carer's allowance may have to wait 12 months for their appeals to be heard, which is ridiculous. A total of 50% of refusals are overturned and carers eventually receive it after waiting 12 months.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Listening to the various contributions to the debate, I was reminded once again how close to home the issue of carers is. Each individual carer mentioned represents the thousands of carers from every family in every parish in every corner of Ireland who receive no awards, often little recognition and sometimes not even the awareness of those for whom they care. People need help and support and this Government is committed to supporting family carers as much as we can.

The income supports that carers receive from the Department of Social Protection are among the highest rates in Europe and remain so after this budget. We had to reduce the respite care grant but the revised rate of the grant, at €1,375, will still be more than twice what it was in 2002, when it was €635, and higher than it was in 2006 at the height of the economic boom, when it was €1,200.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Fine Gael wanted more then.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The other supports for carers - the carer's allowance, the carer's benefit, the half-rate carer's allowance, the domiciliary care allowance and the disability allowance - were all untouched by the budget. In very difficult circumstances over the past two years, this Government has had to make difficult decisions and reassess priorities. In the face of enormous economic pressures, the Government has chosen to continue supporting carers to the maximum extent possible. We have retained the half-rate carer's allowance, which I know is of great value to carers, both financially and in what it represents. We have retained the respite care grant, although at a reduced rate, including for people who do not otherwise qualify for other income supports. We have retained the principle of paying the grant in respect of each person being cared for.

This year, the expenditure on carers in the Department of Social Protection is in excess of €771 million: €509 million on carer's allowance, €24 million on carer's benefit, €135 million on the respite care grant and €103 million on domiciliary care allowance. This represents an increase of almost €20 million on expenditure in 2011. The weekly carer's allowance payment is almost 20% higher this year than in 2006 and more than 147% higher than in 1997. We have approximately 55,000 carers in receipt of carer's allowance or benefit and 26,000 in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance.

A number of Members referred to delays in processing applications for carer's allowance. While I acknowledge that current processing times are unacceptable, measures are being taken to address the issue. At the end of November 2012, there were about 9,000 claims awaiting decision. Following the completion of a major IT modernisation project, an in-depth business process improvement project was completed for the carer's allowance scheme. This project focused on improving output and customer service and the reduction of backlogs. A total of 14 additional staff were assigned to assist with the backlog and the processing of new claims. Implementation of the plan commenced on Monday, 3 September 2012 and is being closely monitored and managed to ensure it achieves its objectives. A noted increase in the number of new claims processed has been achieved in recent months where claims processed have substantially exceeded claim intake. However, it will take a number of months before the backlog is reduced to an acceptable level.

The national carers strategy sets out a vision to work towards an ambitious set of national goals and objectives to guide policy development and service delivery so as to ensure carers feel valued and supported to manage their caring responsibilities with confidence and are empowered to have a life of their own outside of caring.

The strategy also contains a road map for implementation, which outlines the actions that will be taken to deliver on the goals and objectives of the strategy. The road map also outlines the timelines and the Department with responsibility for their implementation. Each Department will produce an annual report on progress, which will be published on its website. A progress report on the overall implementation of the strategy will be produced on a periodic basis over the lifetime of the strategy and presented to the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy. Each Department has appointed a senior official to take responsibility for its actions and for the provision of ongoing up-dates to the Cabinet committee.

The Government continues to face a daunting challenge in repairing the economy and the public finances. Difficult decisions are still required. As we have shown in budget 2013 we are committed to meeting this challenge, and are determined that through good government we will lead Ireland back to independent funding and back to sustainable growth in living standards and in employment. We are facing the future in a positive light. We have seen a total transformation in only 12 months. Today, markets and foreign lenders are lending once again to Ireland and to Irish businesses. This will help our businesses and our economy to continue its path to recovery. This was the context in which the Government took the hard decisions in the budget.

The Government has a vision for carers, a vision of an Ireland which recognises and respects the valuable role of carers in society by providing them with support, where necessary, to assist them in their caring role and to enable them to participate as fully as possible in economic and social life. This is our vision, and is what guides us.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I call Deputy Boyd Barrett who is sharing time with Deputies Stephen Donnelly and John Halligan.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank Deputy Halligan for tabling this motion and recognising in it the incalculable service which carers provide to our society and to some of the most vulnerable in it. I must say I am a bit bemused, and with no personal disrespect to the Minister of State, as to why the Minister of State with responsibility for small business is taking a motion on carers. One would have expected at the very least either the Minister herself, the Minister for Health or even a Minister of State at the Department of Health. Frankly, I do not understand why someone whose brief is very different from this is taking the issue.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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It is all about caring in the community and social enterprise.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Closing down businesses.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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That is a very telling comment-----

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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An insult.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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-----which in a way reinforces one of the main points I want to make. There is no economic rationale or logic to justify making life worse for carers and consequently making life worse for those for whom they care, some of the most vulnerable people in our society. There are no words anyone in the House can say to do justice to the heroic and selfless work done by carers. The working week, the working day and the working year never end for a carer; they are on call 24-seven. They may not be always working, but they are on call all of these hours. If any other worker in any profession had to work the hours with the level of intensity which carers have to do and be on call at that level to carry out the type of work and service they provide to the people they love and to our society and economy, they would be paid multiples of what carers receive.

I say again nothing - no economic rationale, no talk of the troika and no talk of difficult decisions confronting the Government - can justify making life worse for those carers, and without question these cuts to the respite care grant and the absolutely unacceptable delays and refusals in terms of carer's allowance applications, delays which have trebled on the Government watch, are unconscionable and absolutely without justification. It is preposterous to speak about how generous the regime is. The generous ones are the carers. Nothing could be more generous or selfless than what they do for the people they care for and for our society and economy. They give back four or five times more to our economy than they take from it. The Minister of State should be down on his bended knees thanking them and not making life worse for them.

People in the Government say rightly that money is not the issue for carers, and it certainly is not because they would not be doing it if it was given the amount they receive, but the Government states somehow this would be compensated by the review of services. Please do not make us laugh or insult the intelligence of the carers. These services are being cut. Only weeks ago I brought dozens of parents of children with severe intellectual disabilities into the Gallery to point out to the Tánaiste that respite care day services and 24-seven services have been slashed. He stated in that engagement that he would meet with the service provider, they will look at it and sort it out. They got nothing. Those services were slashed, end of story. The Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly has put through a total of €780 million worth of health cuts in the budget and we do not even know what exactly they will mean, but they will definitely mean further cutbacks in day and respite services. Do not give us the economic claptrap. There is no justification for this. Even a small bit of extra income tax on those earning more than €100,000, cutting the pay of some of the top CEOs in semi-State companies or a wealth tax would have covered this very easily. It is appalling and the Government should back off from it.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
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I wish to address the 20% cut to the respite care grant which is being introduced by the Cabinet in the budget for 2013. I will not dwell on the meanness of this cut. I will not dwell on how unnecessary it is in the context of troika targets. I will not dwell on the hardship the cut will cause throughout the country. All of this has been covered with passion and eloquence by many other Deputies.

I want to demonstrate how technically flawed the cut is and how it will in all probability not save the State a single cent. The Carers Association tells us 180,000 carers are in Ireland. We know 77,000 of these are in receipt of the respite care grant. It is estimated this care saves the State, or is worth, €4 billion so on average 180,000 carers provide €22,000 worth of care per year. The figure we are told this cut will save is €26 million, but of course it is not because this money gets taken out of the economy. Using the Government's multiplier, the saving would be €16 million.

Of course, this is not where this ends, because while many carers will continue to provide the level of care they do regardless of the cut some will not be able to do so. Some will not be able to provide the €22,000 worth of care which they currently do. Here is the maths. If just one in 100 of those 77,000 carers can no longer provide the care and passes the cost on to the State it will wipe out the entire €16 million. The question one must ask from a policy perspective is how many of the 77,000 will be forced to do this because of financial constraints. We do not know because the Dáil has not been provided with any technical appendix or analysis for this cut. However, one in 100 does not seem that far fetched. If this happens, if one in 100 carers can no longer provide the care, the Cabinet will have achieved three things. It will not have saved a penny, it will have made lives more difficult for 77,000 carers and those for whom they care, and it will have shown a total disregard for the House by not providing it with the time to debate the legislation or the data needed to interrogate it properly.

I compliment Deputy Halligan on bringing this motion before the House. I am proud to have signed it and will be voting in favour of it shortly.

This is bad legislation and bad policy, which goes against our values as a society. Two days after the budget announcement, I was knocking on doors in Wicklow and the single most common thing I heard from people on low, middle and high incomes was not to bring in a cut that affects carers. Those on middle and high incomes said they would reluctantly pay higher taxes. They said that if the choice was between taxing them or making cuts that affected carers, they should be taxed. Those on lower incomes said they would pay the tax if they could, or else we should find other ways of doing this rather than bringing in this cut of €26 million.

We know without a shadow of a doubt that this will cause hardship. We also know it is mean-spirited and financially unnecessary, but we do not know if it will save the State a single cent. This cut should be reversed.

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I thank my colleagues in the Technical Group for their valuable contributions and, indeed, all those who have contributed to the debate over the past two days.

The opening lines of the motion state: "That Dáil Éireann recognises the vital contribution carers make to the economic and social life of the nation ... that carers are real and equal partners in the provision of care at every level of public service ... that although family carers in the majority of cases are on call 24 hours per day and 365 days per year, they do not earn the ... minimum wage [and] are [not] entitled to ... sick pay or holiday pay ... [and] that family carers provide €4 billion worth of care each year, which is five times the actual cost to the Department of Social Protection." I would have thought that those lines would at least have been seen as reasonable, fair and just. That is what society is about - people being reasonable and fair to one another, and calling for a just society.

Yesterday, I spoke about how we gallantly protected senior civil servants' pensions and ministerial pensions, while we pay carers the equivalent of one cent an hour for 24-7 care. I also said that carers are the only people in the system who work full-time for their social welfare. They work seven days a week without earning the minimum wage and without sick pay or holiday pay such as PAYE workers would get. No civilised society would tolerate such modern-day slavery.

I want to speak about two people, Mary and Stephen. Mary's father had a severe stroke six years ago and her mother was diagnosed with emphysema. Mary lives with her parents, while her siblings live with their own families. Mary weighs seven stone. She decided not to put her father or mother into care. She said that they had loved her and she would love them for their rest of their lives. So began an ordeal of love, despair and stress: love for her mother and father, despair of seeing them constantly ill, and the stress of having to get up and turn her parents - it is my father and mother I am speaking about - four or five times during the night. I know how she works so hard. Mary does not go on the radio or television to talk to Joe Duffy, Pat Kenny or Vincent Browne. She does not speak to the newspapers either because she does not have time. She sees this as a commitment she made to my father, although my mother has since died. She made that commitment to them as they had committed their care and love to her.

Stephen is 26 years of age and his wife is 24. His wife went completely blind two years ago. She had six minor strokes and is on dialysis. They have a two and a half year old child. Stephen is now committed to caring for his wife and child 24 hours a day. When he contacted me, I wondered why a 26 year old who only lives a few streets away from my office could not come down to see me there. It was because he could not leave the house.

Would it not be fair to pay people like Mary and Stephen and all the other carers a reasonable rate of pay? Is it unreasonable to ask for that? Are these people not heroes of the State? How would it be if the Taoiseach or the Minister for Finance went to Angela Merkel, the troika or any of the bondholders we are going to pay and said: "We are not going to give you any more money"? How would it be if, the next day, they stood before Mary and Stephen and said: "We are going to give the money to you"? If they did that, irrespective of what the consequences would be, every man, woman and child would stand behind the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance and everyone else in this Parliament.

The heroism that carers display is not so much towards those they care for or because carers become ill and distressed quicker than many others and over a shorter period. It is the heroism they show to this State by saving it so much money every year. All they ask in return is to be treated justly, fairly and with respect. Will they get what they deserve? Carers do not demand. They never do and never will. They humbly request.