Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I am not going to cross the Chairman. He was bemused that I would not do anything but I said I would and last week I provided funding from the information side for one of the report's recommendations. We will take that into consideration for the next budget.

We are well within the programme for Government target for carer's allowance and carer's benefit and hopefully we will reach the target next year. That said, caring is a long term issue, especially in view of the huge change in the demographic profile in the next 20 years. That will not only impact on pensions but on caring. There has been considerable discussion of this issue and how to pay for it. We participated in the Minister for Health and Children's evaluation of home care and subvention. I will shortly be in a position to examine the issue of financing long-term care. The Nordic countries, for example, provide specifically for caring through the PRSI system at an older age, and I may have to evaluate that system. Recommendations have been made as to how we can fund long-term care, one of which involves a PRSI increase. I have not yet made a determination as to how we will do this. The matter will have to be considered through an evaluation, and different methodologies will not suit everyone.

We have made tremendous changes, including increased supports for carers and it is my intention to continue doing so. The increase in the income disregard this year has not only been beneficial to new applicants but, equally, it has supported people who are currently in receipt of the carer's allowance or carer's benefit, in that they may receive an increased payment accordingly. It is a big issue which we will all have to tackle, regardless of our political perspectives because at the end of the day——