Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 4, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following:

“Report on returned carers’ PRSI credit

5. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas on options to ensure that those who have returned from overseas who care for a family member are not excluded from qualification for Carer’s Allowance or PRSI credit due to the fact that they do not have PRSI contributions in their previous 2 years.”.

I might not press this amendment because I am not sure it is correctly worded. I was trying to address an issue that arises in respect of qualification for carer's benefit or carer's allowance. A certain contributory element is required for carer's benefit but there is not the same contributory requirement for carer's allowance. I do not think the amendment is perfectly worded. I am trying to get at the anomalous situation with regard to people who might be living abroad before returning home to care for an elderly parent. They will have not been in the system because carer's allowance has an attached habitual residency condition of two years and they will not have the contributory credits for the carer's benefit. They find that they are almost invisible to the system because they have not had a visible presence with contributions in the previous two years. People might come home in that way and may well end up staying at home for five or ten years but not get carer's allowance during that time or, crucially, acquire stamps towards their eventual pension in that time. I worry that come in to perform the carer role, which the carer's benefit and carer's allowance are designed to support, but somehow slip out of the social protection system and do not have access.

That is the issue I am trying to address. I do not believe the amendment is perfectly worded but I would be interested in the Minister's thoughts about how we can address that small cohort of people who face significant consequences of not accessing our safety nets and social supports.