John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Over the years since the Carers Association became active in making representations to the political process one fact that has become very apparent from its deliberations and presentations is that it never wanted commitments or promises made that could not be costed or fulfilled. I share the Senator's belief that we can never do enough for carers, but I have to support the Government's position by suggesting that producing a list of recommendations that are cost neutral, in the context of the carers' strategy as initially outlined, separates the non-cost commitments from those that create the real difficulty. The Government prefers to wait until economic times are better to produce the strategy in full with the financial costings and the non-financial elements.

I will ask the carers groups to recognise this is not a stepping back or a cutting of services but a realisation that it would be nonsensical and dishonest of us to give commitments we cannot fulfil. I take Senator Buttimer's point——