Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I too thank the Labour Party Senators for bringing forward this important motion and welcome the visitors to the Gallery, especially those who are carers. It is much more difficult for such people to take out the time to attend, but that shows the importance of this debate. As other Senators said, family carers play an immeasurably important role in our society that should be valued. They dedicate their lives to caring for their loved ones and there is conflict that goes with that whereby people feel as though it is something they should do. Equally, they may feel it is not right that they are not valued properly in society and that they have to advocate for better conditions. Their dedication and sacrifices often go unnoticed or undervalued and, as others have said, it is no coincidence it is mostly women who end up having to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to care work, whether for children, elderly parents or family members with disabilities.Women often become the primary caregivers devoting their time, energy and resources to ensure the well-being of their families. It is vital that we recognise the immense value that family carers bring to society and that we actively support them in their crucial role, not only with kind words and platitudes but to put real concrete value on the care they are giving.

Increasing the carer's grant to €2,000 is included in Sinn Féin's charter for family carers. Adequate financial support, access to respite care and comprehensive training and resources are all essential to enable carers to fulfil their responsibilities effectively, and providing these resources not only improves the well-being of carers but also enhances the quality of care they can provide to their loved ones.

As Senator Boyhan said, it is important to think about who is caring for the carers. I do not know if Senators heard Oliver Callan's radio show today. He had a woman on who became a carer for her mother at a young age. She spoke about the mental toll caring takes on the carer. She also spoke of feeling guilty about talking about it and trying to cover it up, which then brings its own problems such as heartaches, strokes and all that comes with the stress involved. It is important that we recognise that carers need carers as well. We need to look after them.

It would be remiss of me, in my role is as climate justice spokesperson for Sinn Féin, not to mention that as we make the transition to a low-carbon future, we need to start valuing the role of caring, both the carer workforce and those who offer respite and work in the professional care sector and also family carers. These are the jobs and professions we need to start valuing and expanding, rather than carbon-intensive jobs.

The motion also makes a good point about the process for domiciliary care allowance and the challenges parents face in trying to get the allowance approved for their child. It may be refused and they have to appeal the decision, which is time-consuming and stressful, not to mention the fact that parents cannot qualify for a carer's payment for their child until a domiciliary care allowance application is approved. Senator Wall pointed out that 70% of 2,000 rejected cases for the allowance were successful on appeal. That alone tells its story. That people are being put through the hoops of having to apply, with all the stress that entails, and then having to make an appeal and have their appeal upheld shows that there are definitely problems with the current application and approval system.

I also echo the comments of Senator Pauline O'Reilly on pensions and care credits. When I was an MEP in Brussels, we strongly argued for recognition of those people, mostly women, who take time out of their careers to be carers, whether for their children, elderly parents or somebody with a disability, and are then punished in later life because they have not built up credits for the State pension. That needs to be addressed.

As I said, words are great and we all seem to be in unison when we say we value the role of the family carers and believe the system needs to be improved for them. They are only words, however, and it is time society put those words into action. We are constantly hearing how wealthy we are and how much money there is, yet those who could do with State supports most seem to be the people who have to fight the hardest.

I commend the Labour Party on bringing this motion to the House. It has the fully support of the Sinn Féin Senators. I apologise that I have to leave the debate for a meeting but I will look back over it to hear the Minister's response.