Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 6:

In page 5, before section 1, to insert the following new section:

"1.—The Minister for Social and Family Affairs shall, within 3 months of the commencement of this Act, lay before each House of the Oireachtas, a report on the impact of the individualisation of the means-test for Carers Allowance applicants.".

We have probably covered this ground in referring to carers. In this context, I will assume a carer is not a child but an adult who is caring for a young child with a disability or an elderly parent. The work carers do is fantastic but they had not been given the recognition they deserved over the years until recently. I recognise the benefits the Minister brought to many carers by improving the carer's grant, increasing the respite grant and making it easier for people to receive a grant or the carer's allowance.

We want to ensure that anybody who is caring gets the allowance. It is usually a woman who gives up work to care for somebody, although this is not always the case and I recognise there are men who also do this work. Anybody, regardless of gender, who gives of their time to care for somebody should not in any way be discriminated against in terms of getting whatever benefit is available to them.

I welcome the fact somebody who is in receipt of a welfare payment will now get half of the carer's benefit, which is great progress and a measure for which we have called. I credit the Minister with bringing this about.

Perhaps there is no need to emphasise the role of carers as we recognise the work they do and the money they save the State. We know that people, particularly older people, are much better off in their own homes than in nursing homes. Wherever possible, if somebody can be accommodated and looked after at home, and given all the services that person needs to stay at home, this must be supported. I hope nobody would be denied a carer's benefit or allowance because of a means test. I would be interested to hear the Minister's comments.