Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I thank him for bringing forward this important legislation. The 2016 census recorded 195,000 carers in this country, providing more than 6.6 million hours of care. That highlights the extent to which care is being provided within the community. In a lot of cases they are not getting all of the necessary supports.

One thing about carers is that their work is not just about providing care. They also follow up about services for the people they are caring for. That can include trying to access services, working with services, arranging a GP call for the person they are caring for, taking them to the GP or the hospital or attending clinics on an ongoing basis.The people being cared for need ongoing support within the health services. The proposal that carers, who are getting the carer's allowance, should get support themselves is very welcome. The cost of providing a nursing home bed is approximately €1,000 per person per week. In many cases, care is being provided seven days per week so there is no break from it. It is important, therefore, that we recognise carers and give them the support they require.

We need to do a lot more long-term planning. I introduced a Private Members' Bill seeking to regulate home-care providers properly. We are to have an increase in the population. An additional 20,000 people per annum will reach the age of 65 and an additional 2,500 per annum will reach the age of 85. That will pose challenges in itself. The health system, as structured, will not be able to accommodate that increase. Therefore, the people who provide care must be given support.

We also need to examine other areas. I recently raised home care provision with the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection. Representatives of home care providers whom I met reckon we need up to 10,000 additional home carers within the next few years. We need to examine the social welfare system. Someone working for three hours per day for five days per week will automatically lose any allowance he or she is getting under the social welfare system. We need to restructure the system to encourage more people to up-skill and train to provide home care. I refer to those who do not want to work 37.5 hours per week who would provide home care to people who do not have the benefit of somebody living in their house and caring for them. This Bill, however, provides important supports for those who are so dedicated and committed to providing care to people, whether the latter are family members or others to whom they are very close.

It is interesting to consider the census data. Over 60% of the carers are women. Over 40% are aged between 40 and 59. If one is in that age category and the person in care passes away, it is extremely difficult to re-enter the jobs market. It is a huge change in life. One must take time out of one's career to provide full-time care to a family member or close friend and one is at a huge financial loss in doing so.

I welcome this legislation, which offers the necessary support. We need to reconsider what additional supports we can give to carers to make sure they receive the necessary recognition for the work they are doing. Until quite recently, we were not giving that recognition. We need to do so. I thank the Minister again for introducing this legislation.