Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to speak on the respite care grant. A special edition of the census of population reported last month that there are 187,000 carers, of whom 72,000 are men and 114,000 are women, amounting to 4.1% of the population. This number increased by 22,000, or 13%, between the 2006 census and the 2011 census. They are heavily represented in low-income areas of the country, with 5% in Mayo, 4.8% in Sligo, 4.7% in Roscommon and 4.7% in Kerry, and are least represented in south Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Galway City. The age groups that the Minister and her colleagues opposite decided to target are primarily older people. There has been a large increase of 33.6% in the number of carers aged 60 to 74 and an increase of 39.5% in carers aged 75 and over, a declines in the number of carers aged between 15 and 29, and a modest increase of 6% in the number of carers between the ages of 30 and 44. Any idea the Senators opposite have that this money was used to park one's wheelchair at the airport and go skiing in Switzerland is not borne out by any of the numbers.

I recommend that the Department of Social Protection get the numbers from the Central Statistics Office before it embarks on a measure like this in the future. The proportion of carers in rural areas is 43%, whereas they represent 38% of the overall population. The Minister has gone out of her way today and yesterday to target those in dire need. It is shameful that the Members opposite sought to prevent us from voting on the respite care grant. I voted with the Minister the first day, but would not do so again after the way she and the Members opposite conducted themselves yesterday. To target the respite care grant is mean and low. The Minister annoyed about 400,000 people to save ¤26 million. The ramming through of the measure has been the low point of the year in the House. I ask the Minister to obtain the numbers from the CAO which will not cost her anything and revisit the issue. I would have supported her on the other measures were it not for the way in which the business of the House was conducted yesterday.