Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

I am anxious that the Minister for Social and Family Affairs outline why a family member who remains at home to care for an elderly parent or relative is disqualified from receiving carer's allowance if he or she works for a few hours on the small family farm. The carer's allowance has been most successful but farmers, particularly small farmers, are finding it increasingly difficult to comply with the hour rule that applies.

Family carers provide high levels of care at home for children, older people, those who are terminally ill and people with long-term serious illnesses. The carer's life centres around the needs of these people and he or she must be constantly available. Over the past year I have attended a number of oral hearings on behalf of small farmers who have not qualified for the carer's allowance. The Carers Association reckons that carers save the State €380 per week on alternative residential care and, depending on the level of nursing care, the saving can be more than €1,200 per week.

Sons and daughters of elderly parents who must work on the farm cannot comply with the regulations. A small farm cannot be run successfully on less than ten hours per week. This is the reason I appeal to the Department to increase the number of hours a person is allowed to work outside the home from ten hours to 20 hours. This is a reasonable request from a section of the population which finds it difficult to comply with the current criteria. I ask the Minister to look at this provision more carefully for the sake of rural Ireland and small farmers. The Minister will have my support if he changes this anomaly.