Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her reply and thank everyone who contributed, namely Senators Ardagh, Burke, Boyhan, Pauline O'Reilly, Wall, Hoey, Currie and O'Loughlin. I again thank Family Carers Ireland, representatives of which are in the Gallery. Baby Willow was with us for a time and Snowflake, the support group in north County Dublin, was hoping to be here too.

We are grateful to the Minister for not opposing the motion and for supporting elements of it. We very much welcome the restructuring of the long-term disability payments and, in particular, the consideration of bringing the domiciliary care allowance to the age of 18. There is no doubt there has been an expansion in the take-up of the carer’s allowance and the domiciliary care allowance over recent years, but judging by the figures, there is an element of running to stand still. The Minister quoted census figures going back to 2015. There has been a 53% increase in the number of those identifying themselves as being in unpaid caring roles. When we look at the numbers that find themselves as carers relative to those who are taking up carer's payments, we see that we are running to stand still and that there remains a large number of people who should qualify for something but do not because of the means test.

Senator Ardagh’s account of her own experience was a reminder to all of us that, notwithstanding the fact people might have jobs, supports and perhaps services around them, what the carer of a child with additional needs or of an adult with a long-term disability has to go through day in, day out is something the rest of us will never fully understand, but it is something we absolutely need to support in as many ways as possible. The Senator referred to the low-hanging fruit. To me, there are basic reforms that do not cost a lot of money but would open doors for those who find themselves in caring roles. I know of a lone parent who also a carer to her autistic child.She is in receipt of the carer's allowance and wants to take up a course. That course is for 20 hours per week and her child is in school for 25 hours per week. However, because the rules of the carer's allowance state a person may not take up anything that goes beyond the 18 and a half hours per week, she is excluded from trying to give herself a chance in life. Will the Minister please look at those rules? They need to be reformed to allow people to take up part-time work, or indeed an education, so they can give themselves a chance. One of the other Senators mentioned this is not something parents must live with for two or three years before it goes away. Instead, they are living with it to the end of their days. They must be given a chance to try to make a better life for themselves and their families.

On the carer's allowance, our motion clearly supports the calls of Family Carers Ireland and we call for a pathway to abolishing the means test. The Minister talks about increasing the earnings disregard but in reality, €41,500 is below what average earnings are for an individual. Given that sum is for a household and refers to gross rather than net income, it is not in any way an appropriate level to try to include those who are in caring roles. We need to recognise there is an individual - it is usually the woman but it could be the man as well - who is having to step back and make a sacrifice in terms of his or her own earnings and career in order to take up a caring role. We must look at that earnings disregard and ultimately set a pathway to the abolition of the means test. I heard what the Minister said about the Department of Health having to play a part but there are two aspects here. First, we can say if carer's allowance is no longer to be means tested then it should not be the Department of Social Protection's problem any more. Alternatively, we could take a different approach and ask the Minister to champion, within the Government, a place for carers in order that they do not have to face that means test. There are many payments or services that happen to fall under the remit of the Minister's Department. I am thinking, for instance, of the registration of birth. The Department decides the policy and the Department of Health and the HSE actually undertake the registration. Thus, there is much crossover between Departments. As the Minister for Social Protection with responsibility for the carer's allowance, our ask is for her to champion within the Government a pathway to abolition of the means test.

I have two last things to say. I refer to the domiciliary carer's allowance, DCA. Senator Currie spoke about the pages people have to fill out. A mother of an autistic child told me it is the most upsetting form she has ever had to fill out. There is a Facebook group called DCA Warriors. These are autistic mothers having to help other mothers and fathers fill out those forms. We must have reform of the application system to make it easier.

I have a final thing to say, with the Acting Chairperson's indulgence. There is an urgency now with the supports we provide to carers. We are all only too aware of the crippling shortages out there with regard to services and therapies within the health system. As Minister for Social Protection, I am sure the Minister could ask why that is her problem, but carers are having to take a disproportionate share of the caring responsibility because the services are not there. That problem is not going to be fixed overnight. The recruitment process for all those who need to be brought into the health system is not going to happen today, tomorrow or next week. It will have to happen over months and years. It therefore falls on the Department of Social Protection to ensure we put in place supports for carers, because they are living day in, day out with the reality of those services not being available and of having to shoulder the responsibility of looking after their loved ones.