Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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81. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans to improve services to those who depend on the respite care grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24272/14]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister will be aware that various suggestions were made to alleviate the effects of the cut in the respite care grant. I am trying to ascertain whether any of those recommendations has been implemented or is intended to be implemented.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Government published a national carer strategy in 2012 to signal its commitment to recognising and respecting carers as key care partners and to respond to their needs across a number of policy areas. The contribution that carers make is critical to our society. The Department, in meeting its commitments under this strategy, provides a range of income supports to assist with the financial burden of caring. These include carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and respite care grant.

A total of €806 million is provided for these payments in 2014.

Carer's allowance is the main income support. Over the past decade the number of people in receipt of carer's allowance has increased from just over 23,000 in 2004 to close to 57,200 at the end of last May. Nearly 25,000 of these recipients are in receipt of a carer's payment at half rate as they are also in receipt of another social welfare payment. For example, a lone parent who is caring on a full-time basis for an elderly relative can receive €219.80 in one-parent family payment and €102 per week in half-rate carer's allowance. Recipients of carer's allowance also qualify for free travel and, if they are living with the person they are caring for, the household benefits package.

In addition, the respite care grant is an annual non-means-tested payment made to carers by the Department. Full-time carers who are not in receipt of a carer's payment from the Department are also entitled to the grant. In fact, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the annual payment of the respite care grant commenced last Thursday to more than 70,000 carers at an estimated cost of €122 million for the full year in 2014. Carers can use the grant in whatever way they wish.

The Government is committed to ensuring that, in addition to the necessary income supports, carers receive a comprehensive range of services to assist in the caring role. The responsibility for providing respite care services and supports rests with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The question was to ask the Minister for Social Protection the plans she has to improve services for those who depend on the respite care grant in view of the fact that that grant was cut last year. The Minister has spent several minutes answering a question that could be answered in four words: We have no plans.

The Minister mentioned that the expenditure on carers in the current year is at €806 million. She will be aware that for every euro the State spends on carers it gets back about €5. The value of the total caring done in this country is estimated to be between €4.5 billion and €5 billion. The Minister will also be aware of the survey published yesterday by the Neurological Alliance of Ireland. It is among a number of surveys which point out that this particular cutback, among other cutbacks, has had a significant impact on carers of people with neurological conditions.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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At the time of the Social Welfare Bill and the controversy that arose regarding the cut in the respite care grant, various members of the Minister's party said that this was not the be all and end all because, as she said, the respite care grant did not have to be paid at the time of the budget. However, various suggestions were put forward in a Seanad debate, largely by members of the Labour Party, outlining clever ways in which the effect of this cut could be alleviated. The Minister is aware of that debate; she participated in it. Has she considered those suggestions and does she have any plans to implement any of them?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I hear a slight tone of irony in Deputy O'Dea's comments because I am conscious that the Government of which he was a part-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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If the Minister answers the question-----

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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-----cut the weekly payment to carers-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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I am conscious that the Minister is trying to avoid answering the question.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Please. The Minister has the floor.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Is this the new face the Labour Party is going to present to the public?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I just said I detected a note of irony in the Deputy's voice.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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I asked the Minister a simple question.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Government of which he was a full serving member-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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That is not relevant to the question I asked.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has the floor.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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-----cut the weekly payment to carers by approximately €16.40 per week.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Does the Minister have any suggestions?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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That is €850-plus per annum. Therefore-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister cut it by €6.50 a week.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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-----the question the Deputy is asking now is a little ironic. A reduction in any social welfare allowance is difficult at any stage, but I chose as Minister - I take full responsibility for it - unlike Fianna Fáil in Government, which implemented a cut of €8 and a further cut of €8.40 a week-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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And the Minister's one of €6.50.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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-----to protect the weekly payment to carers.

The Deputy is well aware that the carer's allowance is one of the few payments in our social welfare system - in that sense, it is unique in Europe - that is not subject to any means test.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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That is not true.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The current payment of €1,375 per annum is more than twice the amount of €635 per annum paid in 2002 by the previous Government, of which Deputy O'Dea was a member, and-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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It is 20% less than when the Minister got her hands on it.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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-----is higher than it was at the height of the boom in 2006, when it was €1,200 per annum.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Minister.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Deputy, in asking questions, which he is legitimately entitled to do, might also want to reflect on his role and that of his party when in government.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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I am asking the Minister about her role.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy, please.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Excuse me. I am asking the Minister about her role in government. The Labour Party came into government based on votes from people to whom they promised they would not cut core social welfare rates. The Minister is well aware that everybody who is in receipt of a carer's allowance is automatically entitled to the respite care grant. Thus, when the respite care grant is cut, that represents a cut in the core rate of social welfare. Regardless of how the Minister juggles it up, that is the reality.

At the time the former chairperson of the Labour Party, Deputy Keaveney, voted against the cut in the respite care grant, other members of the Labour Party who were also wrestling with their consciences publicly thought they would be able to persuade the Minister to take on board their suggestions to alleviate the effects of that cut. There was a Seanad debate on the issue, at which various suggestions were put forward. I know the Minister is aware of those suggestions. Is it her intention to turn them all down? Is it her intention to set her face against those suggestions, which were by implication promised to members of the Labour Party in return for their support in getting the Social Welfare Bill through?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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My determination as Minister is to do what Fianna Fáil did not do, which is to protect the core weekly social welfare payment for people such as carers.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Everybody gets the respite care grant. It is part of the core payment.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Unlike Fianna Fáil, which imposed a cut €16.40 per week-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Is this the new face of the Labour Party?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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-----I chose to protect the core weekly payment.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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It looks like the same old face to me.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Deputy is asking me-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has imposed more austerity in social welfare than did any other Minister with responsibility for that portfolio.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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------if I can tell him the contents of the budget which is due next October. I am not in a position to share that with him now. The Deputy will have noted that the tax returns last week were reasonably positive and that the number of people returning to work is also reasonably positive. I say this in an effort to explain to the Deputy that every time 10,000 people leave the live register and the social welfare system and-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Go off to Canada.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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-----return to work, the saving to all those taxpayers who pay tax and PRSI is approximately €90 million.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Minister.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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If I can continue the strategy-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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It was supposed to be done this year.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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-----of getting people back to work and getting more easement in terms of overall social welfare costs-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister promised she would do that this year, but now she is talking about doing it next year.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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-----then, in terms of the budgetary strategy, there will be some room to manoeuvre. There are no commitments at this time in relation to any particular group in respect of the budget.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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She has successfully fooled the people. She has conned them again.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Deputy, as someone who served in government for a long time, is aware of that.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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She has hoodwinked them. Deputy Keaveney is the only man who dared to comment.