Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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672. To ask the Minister for Health the efforts he has made in advancing an updated national carers’ strategy. [36198/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Family carers are key enablers for Government policy to support people to live with dignity and independence in homes and communities of their choosing for as long as possible by providing vital care to some of our most vulnerable citizens. The essential role that family carers play in the provision of care in Ireland is fully recognised and appreciated by me and my Department. Every day, family carers through their selfless hard work, knowledge and compassion enhance the quality of life of the most vulnerable in our society.

Government policy on family carers is set out in the 2012 National Carers' Strategy which provides the strategic direction for future policies, services and supports provided by Government departments and agencies for carers. The Strategy is designed around a core vision which recognises and respects carers as key care partners who are supported to maintain their own health and well-being, care with confidence and participate as fully as possible in economic and social life. Oversight of the Strategy is led by my department, with individual Government Departments leading on action areas under their remit.

Before commencing work on updating the National Carers' Strategy, consideration is being given regarding the approach and the breadth of stakeholder consultation. A review of the Strategy, carried out by Care Alliance Ireland and University College Cork in 2021, found that over 90% of carers felt the actions in the Strategy were still relevant and wanted them retained.

In March, I established with Minister Humphreys an inter-departmental group examining supports for family carers. Membership of the group includes my department, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

The inter-departmental group will report its findings to me and the Ministers for Social Protection and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in Q3 2024.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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673. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to develop and deliver a ‘carers guarantee’ that provides a core basket of services to carers, given that an organisation (details supplied) states that the current funding falls short by €3.1 million to deliver the original proposals in full. [36199/24]

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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676. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the progress made in delivering a carer’s guarantee. [36207/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 673 and 676 together.

Family carers are key enablers of Government policy to support people to live with dignity and independence in homes and communities of their choosing for as long as possible by providing vital care to some of our most vulnerable citizens. The essential role that family carers play in the provision of care in Ireland is fully recognised and appreciated by me and my Department. Every day, family carers through their selfless hard work, knowledge and compassion enhance the quality of life of the most vulnerable in our society.

Annually recurring funding of €2 million has been provided since Budget 2021 under the National Carers’ Strategy to improve equity of access to supports for carers across the country. This funding is an important step towards delivering on the Programme for Government commitment to develop a Carers’ Guarantee, providing a more standard package of supports to family carers in every region, in tandem with the community and voluntary sector. €1.9 million of this funding is being provided to Family Carers Ireland to deliver a mix of community and individual supports across five areas of activity:

• community carer supports;
• intensive and emergency supports;
• education and training;
• family Carer Ireland’s freephone careline; and
• psychosocial support.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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674. To ask the Minister for Health if those in receipt of the carer’s support grant are entitled to a free GP card. [36200/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers who get Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA). It can also be paid to certain other carers providing full-time care.

Since 1 September 2018 all those in receipt of either a full or half-rate Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit are automatically eligible for a GP visit card (GPVC). This means that many persons in receipt of the Carer's Support Grant already qualify for a GP visit card as the Carer's Support Grant is paid automatically to persons in receipt of Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit. In addition, it is envisaged that a number of carers already hold eligibility for a medical card or GPVC under the general means assessment guidelines.

A range of other measures have been introduced in recent years to expand access to GP Care including the automatic awarding of a GP visit card to all persons over 70 in 2015 and an increase to the income thresholds for a GP Visit Card in 2019, which are considerably higher than those for a medical card.

Furthermore, under the GP Agreement 2023, GP visit card means-tested eligibility was fully expanded, as per that Agreement, to all those who earn up to the median household income from November 2023 (having commenced in September 2023). Approximately 430,000 people under the means-tested expansion were estimated to be eligible under this expansion. It is likely that many of those currently in receipt of the Carer Support Grant will be among those positively affected by this expansion.

I can assure the Deputy that, in order to ensure the medical card system is responsive and sensitive to people's needs, my Department keeps medical card issues under review and any proposals are considered in the context of any potential broader implications for Government policy, the annual budgetary estimates process and legislative requirements arising.