John Kelly (Labour)

I do not know the reason people who earn more than €100,000 per annum continue to receive child benefit. The payment should be taxed. I appreciate the Minister's efforts to have child benefit paid at the same rate as in other countries. This would be of considerable benefit.

On domiciliary care allowance, I do not believe the medical section of the Department of Social Protection fully understands the hard work being done by parents of children with ADHD and other conditions. Applications for the allowance are being refused much too frequently and many of those denied it should be entitled to receive it.

Senator Moloney referred to carer's allowance. We would save a great deal of money if we invested in this payment. Given that all expenditure comes from the same pot, we should spend money on keeping people out of hospitals and other institutions.

I cannot understand the reason some people are making an issue of the decision to increase the age of retirement to 66, 67 and, ultimately, 68 years. My father and mother who are 82 and 83 years old, respectively, run a petrol station. They are well able to do so and do not want to be unemployed or redundant. Most people aged 66, 67 or 68 years want to continue working. When one is 20 years old one believes a 50 year old is elderly and when one is 66 years old one believes people in their 90s are old. Let us take a common sense approach to this issue. If someone is in poor health at the age of 65 or 66 years, he or she should be entitled to a pension.