Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I did expect the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to attend but I know she is busy and there is a Cabinet meeting. One of the reasons I want to single her out is that I want to acknowledge her. I know that she is not here but I want to put on the public record her outstanding service and her Department. I can honestly tell Members that of all of my time in my three years here there is no Minister who has followed up diligently on every piece of correspondence or representation that I have made and I have personally received a response from her. Not only have I had a response but it has been personally signed off by her. Her attention to detail is extraordinary, which is worth putting on the record of the House. In many ways that goes back to the team she leads. I do not know if she is a hard taskmaster, but she is a good one. From my knowledge, from feedback from the Minister, her staff and her officials and from the many representations that I make on behalf of city and county councillors across this country, I have found her to be excellent. I wanted to say that to her today but she is not here, so perhaps the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, might convey that to her. I genuinely believe that we should acknowledge people who excel in their work in public service, and she does.

I thank the Department, in particular for the level of public engagement. I am mindful of the social welfare Christmas and new year payments as well as publications. It is constant and it is important to acknowledge the quality of the work and the information that goes out. This was in our paper today. I want to thank the Minister in the Minister of State's Department for the increase in the number of carers who will have the opportunity to train from 1 January 2020. It is a few additional hours. It is not a lot but it is going in the right direction. I understand that there are always demands on public finances, public funds and public support.

I raise the issue of carers in crisis - the carers in our community. They are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and loved ones who support close family members with a disability in the homeplace or in the community or elderly parents and friends. The Minister of State has spoken time and again in this House about the importance of keeping people in their homes and in their communities, where practical and possible. What better place, what nicer place and what more comfortable place to be supported when one is ill, has a disability or in need of support than in one's community. I hope that focus is not lost. I accept that funding is always a difficulty, but the priority has to be on how we can put and increase resources in homes and in our communities to support vulnerable people.

The real purpose of raising this today was to thank the Minister, Deputy Doherty, on doing a difficult job well but, more importantly, to ask her to keep the focus on what she intends to do to increase support. I do not necessarily expect the Minister of State to read the reply into the record but I would be very happy if he passed on this message.