Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. He has to acknowledge that carers work many hours that are not accounted for. Many of the people who provide care at home for a loved one never apply for carer's allowance. They save the State so much money. This needs to be reviewed. People need to be asked to work with the Department by informing it of how many hours they provide care for. The payments sound great but when one works out how many hours people provide care for, it is below the minimum wage. I would like this issue to be reviewed. Will the Department consider it in the budget in October?