Results 1-20 of 52 for carer's speaker:Ruairí Ó Murchú

Committee on Children and Equality: Engagement with Office of the Ombudsman for Children (26 Jun 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: ...that Dr. Muldoon spoke about. Obviously, we should avoid as much as possible the need for people to go into special care arrangements or foster care. You can never have enough foster carers and I tip my hat to the 99% of foster carers who are out there doing spectacular work. The rules need to be looked at, not only as regards payments and expenses for them but also what they are...

Committee on Children and Equality: Engagement with Office of the Ombudsman for Children (26 Jun 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: ...I think Ms Ward spoke about kinship care. That wider family piece is absolutely necessary. We have already talked about what needs to be done and the added supports which are required for foster carers and making sure we have more. When you have those in a family unit, some of which do a lot of heavy lifting, sometimes ad hoc and off the books because there can be issues with payments...

Committee on Children and Equality: Engagement with Children's Rights Alliance (19 Jun 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: ...it is not perfect to keep a family unit together, as that is not helpful to anybody. I know that begs other questions, for example, about what supports can be provided when we do not have enough foster carers. We could talk about early childhood learning but I will start with that.

Committee on Children and Equality: Engagement with Children's Rights Alliance (19 Jun 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: This is about emergency cases where we have failed to deal with them at an earlier stage. I accept we need many more foster carers. I have questions. I understand the resource issues and the position of Tusla, but the nuclear intervention is sometimes required.

Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: ...Departments. Sometimes we have the issue of guardianship and payments, which needs to be resolved in social protection, but it needs to be looked at. I get the sense we do not have enough foster carers. We were speaking about special emergency arrangements and while these are imperfect, there are also situations where we do not have the capacity to take kids out of circumstances that...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Care Services (13 May 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: 1029. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people waiting for funding and for a carer for HSE home support in each month of 2025, by RHA and IHA; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23439/25]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Funding (10 Apr 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: 392. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people waiting for funding and for a carer for HSE home support in each month of 2025, by CHO and LHO; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18196/25]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Funding (10 Apr 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: 393. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people waiting for funding and for a carer for HSE home support in CHO 8, by LHO and by whether a person is waiting for a new package or more hours on an existing package; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18197/25]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It goes without saying that the means test must be removed for carers. We all know the financial impact on a home of dealing with a child with additional needs. The issue must be addressed. I also agree that the discrepancy in the figures must be addressed. There must be some element of flexibility for carers who work as carers, who sometimes go over the 18.5 hours, in particular in...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (27 Feb 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: 144. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration will be given to a system whereby those who on carer’s allowance, and who are working, are able to provide information on their working hours on a more regular basis to the Department avoiding unintentional accrued debts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6983/25]

Carer's Allowance: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: There is an element of Groundhog Day here, whether we are talking about services for families of people with disabilities, school places for children with disabilities or carers. There is general agreement with regard to the billions that carers save. We could not operate without the care provided by family members to those they love. In Ireland and many other places, that has always been...

Disability Services: Motion [Private Members] (15 Oct 2024)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I put it to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, that we really need to see that one-stop shop. It needs to get beyond words. We know what the huge issues are when we are talking about carers or those with disabilities and their wider families. We need to make sure there is a proper framework around them. I welcome to the Public Gallery Alexandra Jedrzejewska from All Abilities...

Carer's Allowance Means Test: Motion [Private Members] (25 Sep 2024)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: We are back in here talking about carers and I really welcome the opportunity and thank the Regional Independent Group. The fact is that we are all going to talk about the huge savings to the State through the great effort that is put in by carers and how we could not operate without them but we still fail in delivering for them. We could probably have this conversation forever and we are...

Carers: Motion [Private Members] (18 Jun 2024)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It is fairly straightforward what we are asking for here and I welcome the fact the Government is not opposing this. If we are talking about carer's allowance, it is quite straightforward. We need to have an element of flexibility, and whether we are talking about the time someone spends on education or working, 18.5 hours with no element of flexibility is not working for many. We know...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: ...they are entitled to. Not for the first time I may slightly go off on a tangent from the question rather than just repeating again what I said. Earlier the Taoiseach brought up the means test for carers and he said he believed it was too mean. He spoke about the income disregard that will be dealt with this week. Will the Minister give an update on this if it is possible? I realise I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: We would all welcome any streamlining of systems, whether the IT systems or the process generally. My office still encounters issues. We are dealing with a particular carer's benefit appeal that has been hanging around since February. Average timescales are sometimes made up of some cases that are all right and other cases that are very difficult. Some cases take too long to resolve. It...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (20 Feb 2024)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: ...this work and have this group up and running. It can report back to her and she can take action. All of us would welcome that as soon as possible. These are the means by which we can deliver for carers.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (20 Feb 2024)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: ...and Social Protection if she will provide an update on the establishment of an interdepartmental working group with the Department of Health to examine and review the system of means testing for carer payments and related schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7231/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Payments (20 Feb 2024)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Will the Minister provide an update on the establishment of an interdepartmental working group with the Department of Health to examine and review the system for means testing for carer payments and related schemes? We dealt with this issue previously. We all know the issues around the thresholds. Anything that can be done to introduce some element of flexibility into the system and...

Social Welfare (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023: Second Stage (18 Jan 2024)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: ...impact by empowering and facilitating families and ensuring we can bridge the gap and can allow people to get onto this route out of poverty. The Minister and I have spoken many times about family carers and the fact we need to take a look at how we deal with this issue. I accept there are big differences between the supports provided to many family carers. We probably could not put...