Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

Listening to the various contributions to the debate, I was reminded once again how close to home the issue of carers is. Each individual carer mentioned represents the thousands of carers from every corner of Ireland - every parish and every family - who receive no awards, often little recognition and sometimes not even the awareness of those for whom they care. People need help and support in doing this and this Government is committed to supporting family carers as much as we can.

In the changing circumstances over the past two years we have had to make difficult decisions and reassess priorities. In the face of enormous economic pressures the Government has chosen to continue supporting carers to the maximum extent possible. We have retained the half-rate carer's allowance, which I know is of great value to carers, both financially and in what it represents. We have retained the respite care grant, including for people who do not otherwise qualify for other income supports. I have taken all the issues on board and, as Senator Ó Brolcháin has indicated, it would be great to have another debate at another time of the year. As regards the home care packages, my focus last year was on the fair deal nursing home support Bill, and certainly now it is on home and security care. In my initial speech I mentioned the evaluation we had done of the home care packages, and we are now aiming to standardise access and delivery of these. They are working extraordinarily well in parts of the country and not so well in others. We are working very hard in my Department to standardise that access and delivery.

Several Senators raised the issue of the habitual residency requirement. There are five grounds to be considered based on the rulings of the European Court of Justice, and we can consider the balance of the grounds outside the five, which obviously cannot be changed. Thirty-five people have been refused out of 19,000 and an appeals process is in place.

I referred to the positive aging strategy and many Senators have mentioned the national carers strategy today as an issue. The Government took a decision in 2009 not to publish this strategy. In 2008 the economy experienced multiple shocks as an unparalleled combination of international and domestic developments impacted. Reflecting these developments the economy rapidly moved into recession and the pace of this deterioration has to be recalled now against a background of 6% GDP growth during 2007. The European Council and the European Commission considered Ireland to be at medium risk when it came to the long-run sustainability of the public finances. As a result, Ireland's stability programme update in October 2008 described safeguarding the public finances as requiring additional policy responses and potentially difficult choices, notwithstanding existing initiatives. That was the context in which the Government took the decision not to proceed with the carers strategy. Given the prevailing economic situation, it was not possible to set targets or timelines which could be achieved. Rather than publishing a document which did not include any significant plans for the future, the Government decided not to publish a strategy.

I refute any suggestion that the Government has no strategy or vision for carers. Government policy is to support older people, people with disabilities and people with mental health difficulties to allow them to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible and, where this is not possible, to support access to quality, long-term residential care. The report of the working group on long-term care recommended that a central principle of policy should be to support older people to remain in the community. This policy approach is renewed and developed in Towards 2016. It is reflected in the ongoing statements of strategy of the Department of Social Protection and the HSE.

The Government has a vision for carers, of an Ireland which recognises and respects the valuable role of carers in society by providing them with support, where necessary, to assist them in their caring role and to enable them to participate as fully as possible in economic and social life. That is our vision and it is what guides us.