Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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830. To ask the Minister for Health if he has received a submission from an organisation (details supplied) in relation to Budget 2022; and if he will prioritise family carers and carers in his discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. [46776/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I received a pre-budget submission from Family Carers Ireland on August 24th 2021 which my Department and I have considered ahead of Budget 2022.

However, as the Deputy will appreciate, I cannot comment at this stage on the outcome of the estimates process, or matters which will be the subject of national service planning in 2022.

As Minister for Health, I am committed to improving supports for family carers. Under the National Carer’s Strategy a range of measures have been introduced or extended by my Department to support family carers in recent years. Most recently, €2m was allocated in Budget 2021 as a first step towards implementing a Carers’ Guarantee. My Department has been in consultation with representative groups and the HSE to ensure the funding address geographical inequity of access to carer supports.