Results 21-40 of 70 for carers speaker:Marian Harkin

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (29 Nov 2022)

Marian Harkin: 463. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide the most recent figure on the number of carers receiving a half-rate carer's allowance; the number of carers who receive a reduced rate of the half-rate carer's allowance due to means, categorised by recipients aged under 66 years caring for one person, aged under 66 years caring for two or more people,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (15 Nov 2022)

Marian Harkin: 388. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide the most recent figure on the number of carers in receipt of carer's allowance, including half-rate carer's allowance; the number of carers who receive a reduced rate of carer's allowance due to means; and the breakdown of these rates by the number of person's receiving a carer's allowance payment under...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (15 Nov 2022)

Marian Harkin: 389. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide the most recent figure on the total number of carers in receipt of carer's benefit and half-rate carer's allowance. [56426/22]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (15 Nov 2022)

Marian Harkin: 390. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the breakdown of the total number of carers who received the carer's support grant to date in 2022; of these, the number of carers who receive the carer's support grant as a stand-alone payment, that is they do not receive carer's allowance, carer's benefit or DCA; and the number of carers who receive the carer's support...

Home Care: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (8 Nov 2022)

Marian Harkin: ...of home care in many cases is that even when a package is allocated - and it is not easy to get an allocation - perhaps of half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening, there are no carers to do that work seven days a week. A person might get four or five days. There is often no cover for holidays, such as bank holidays, or if a carer or someone in his or her family has...

Finance Bill 2022: Second Stage (Resumed) (25 Oct 2022)

Marian Harkin: ...The Minister should try to see if he can find a way to change this. Given that it is a once-off payment, the cost would not be that significant. In the same arena, I just want to say a few words about family carers. Some aspects of this budget were good and one really positive aspect was that most family carers, not just those on carer's allowance, could access the once-off payment....

Domestic Electricity and Gas Disconnections: Motion [Private Members] (18 Oct 2022)

Marian Harkin: ...important to say that many families will not qualify for the majority of targeted supports. The extra payment for those on fuel allowance, for example, is very welcome, but the vast majority of family carers will not be able to avail of that because carer's allowance is not a qualifying payment for fuel allowance, despite the fact that people caring for older persons have the heat on all...

Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Second Stage (Resumed) (13 Oct 2022)

Marian Harkin: ..., in committee and in the Parliament itself, but in trying to ensure it got on the Statute Book in the first place. When I was first elected to the Parliament, Kathy Sinnott and I founded the carers interest group and that was one of its first recommendations the group made. I remained as chair of the group for between ten and 15 years, co-chairing some of the time. This was one of our...

Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Second Stage (Resumed) (11 Oct 2022)

Marian Harkin: ...the general public. All the payments we are speaking of tonight are welcome but they fall far short of what is needed. That is the case for those who are on low or middle incomes and for family carers, for example, 75% of whom do not get the carer's allowance. One of the things I was hugely disappointed about in the budget was the fact that the carer's allowance is still not a...

Financial Resolutions 2022 - Budget Statement 2023 (27 Sep 2022)

Marian Harkin: ...measure is welcome but a 'once off payment', won’t reduce poverty, won’t improve income inequality and won't have a long term impact on our quality of life." One of my biggest disappointments is that carer's allowance is still means tested and is still not a qualifying payment for fuel allowance. To get fuel allowance, one has to be living alone or with certain others...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Sep 2022)

Marian Harkin: I want to make a brief comment on that. The vast majority of carers do not get the carer's allowance. It is a small proportion of them to begin with and you only get it if the person needs full-time care. The system as it is constructed is such that only a small proportion of carers get it. In that context, not having a means test is a reasonable ask. It would be a different thing if...

Measures to Assist with Household Bills: Motion [Private Members] (14 Sep 2022)

Marian Harkin: .... In any suite of measures we need to see a substantial increase in the income threshold eligibility for fuel allowance, a significant increase in fuel allowance and much broader eligibility scope for carers and all those with disabilities.

Confidence in Government: Motion (12 Jul 2022)

Marian Harkin: The question that I must answer to my electorate is whether I support this Government to continue with its current policies on health, housing, support for carers and, crucially, a delivery of a fair share to the regions, and the north west in particular. My answer has to be “No”. The Taoiseach earlier asked us to be fair. Therefore, I will stick to the facts. The...

Cost of Disability: Motion [Private Members] (6 Jul 2022)

Marian Harkin: ...The Indecon report tells us that households where a member has a disability spend an average of an additional €9,000 per year. I was privileged to launch a report on the cost of disability with Family Carers Ireland and the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice a few months ago in the audiovisual room. The report looked at the minimum essential standard of living for a...

Respite Care Services: Motion [Private Members] (22 Jun 2022)

Marian Harkin: I thank Deputy Connolly for her comprehensive and eminently reasonable motion on the provision of adequate respite care services. This motion lays bare the cruel situation in which many family carers find themselves and asks that an adequate and sustainable service is put in place. It also very reasonably asks that all respite beds closed as a result of Covid be reinstated. This is what we...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2022)

Marian Harkin: The programme for Government committed to support family carers. We have also been told that a home care package will be in place by the end of the year. In that context, I ask the Minister about the Government and the Green Party position on the important issues relating to carer's allowance. Carer's allowance is means-tested. That means any household with a total gross income, before...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (28 Apr 2022)

Marian Harkin: ...measures because that is what the Citizens' Assembly has asked it to do. The Citizens' Assembly also made another important point. Gross income is taken into consideration. This means family carers, male or female, are relying on their partner's income to support them and to support care in the home. The assembly also asked for social welfare payments to be individualised. That is an...

Carbon Tax: Motion [Private Members] (27 Apr 2022)

Marian Harkin: ...for the approximately 500,000 people who receive it. However, there are many other families who are struggling and do not receive fuel allowance. Time and time again I have raised the issue that carer's allowance is not a qualifying payment for fuel allowance. Just two weeks ago I was happy to facilitate the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice and Family Carers Ireland when they...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Apr 2022)

Marian Harkin: ...to cope with the cost of living increases, but some are especially heavily burdened. Included in that group are families who support and care for persons with disabilities. Yesterday, Family Carers Ireland launched a report compiled by the Vincentian Partnership that detailed the additional costs to a family caring for an adolescent with a profound intellectual disability. That...