Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yes. I wish to address the issue of carers. It is time that we cared for the carers. Some 355,000 people, or one in ten adults, are unpaid carers in Ireland. Only 81,071, or one in five, of those carers receive carer's allowance. They save the State the massive sum of €10 billion each year. The Government spends almost two and a half times more on the nursing home fair deal scheme than it does on carers. The point I am trying to make is that it is time for us to care for the carers.

I commend Family Carers Ireland on the launch of its pre-budget submission, which contains very simple requests. The first is to reform the means test for carer's allowance. It has not been reformed since 2008. There has been no change in the disregards and the allowable deductions are too limited. This means that many people do not meet the means test for carer's allowance.

We need to give consideration to the fact that carer's allowance is taxable. We do not tax vulture funds or multinational companies and banks are getting away without paying tax for 20 years, but we tax carer's allowance. That must be examined and changed.

Another matter that need to be changed is the restriction of 15 hours a week in respect of carers who work, take up a course in education or engage in voluntary work. That must be extended to at least 18.5 hours per week. We must value our carers.

We need to end the postcode lottery in regard to home care and carer supports. In my county of Mayo, we do not have the home care or carer supports that exist in other areas of the country.

We also need to replace the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant which were withdrawn in 2013. There is no reason these measures should not be brought back in, particularly for people living in rural areas who must travel long distances to hospital and for medical supports since the centralisation of such supports. In addition, the GP visit card should be extended to include carers in receipt of a carer's support package.I ask that the Minister be asked to come to the House for a meaningful debate on how we treat our 355,000 unpaid carers in this State.