Results 181-200 of 1,040,360 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Bríd Smith OR speaker:Seán Sherlock) in 'Committee meetings'

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (24 Sep 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: This question relates to people taking time from work to care, very often for family members, and enabling them to qualify for a pension. There are situations involving older people in particular who take time off later in their career who cannot fulfil the 20-year criterion by the time they reach pension age.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: This Government acknowledges the important role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the State pension system gives significant recognition to those whose work history includes extended periods outside of paid employment, often to raise families or in a full-time caring role. Despite these measures, some long-term carers of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (24 Sep 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: I acknowledge that a great effort has been made and that it does work for so many people who were carrying out that hugely important caring role, but there are situations that arise where a person cannot make up 20 years. Those cases very likely involve people who took on the caring role later in life – in their 40s, 50s or later – and they cannot make up the 20 years by the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (24 Sep 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I thank the Deputy.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (24 Sep 2024)

Aindrias Moynihan: Will the Minister review the situation for them?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Pension Provisions (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. I take the point he makes that if a person takes on a caring role later in life, he or she will not have spent 20 years caring. We introduced this in January this year. Like all of these schemes, it has to bed in. I followed the recommendations of the Pensions Commission. As I said, it carried out a lot of consultation. I am always happy to look at these things....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Social Welfare Benefits

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: 11. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department has undertaken any assessment on the merits of ending the means test on the carer’s allowance. [37630/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Alan Farrell: 50. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to report on the recent changes to the carer’s allowance means test; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26536/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: There are five Deputies present, only three of whom are looking for re-election. The rest of the Deputies must be canvassing for the election at the moment.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Denis Naughten: I would not mind doing a bit of canvassing as well.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: I want to speak to the issue of care and the fact that care is so vital in our society at the moment. One in eight Irish people currently provide unpaid care. It is a tremendously tough job. It is often 24-7. It can be extremely demanding. How can we start to help, in the context of income, people who are providing care? Many of them are means-tested and many of them are suffering...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 50 together. Since my appointment as Minister, I have made significant improvements to the means test for carer's allowance. I have taken a range of actions to improve supports for carers over recent years through increasing payment rates and income disregards and providing once-off and extra double payments. It is important to acknowledge that there...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: We accept that this is enormously valuable work.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Yes, absolutely.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: That is really important to say. We also accept that the care that is actually provided saves the State a considerable amount of money. The Minister would have to recognise that the tens of thousands of men and women throughout the State who are caring are saving the State possibly billions of euro in terms of care that would otherwise have to be provided by the State. We know that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. I recognise and value the work of our carers. I mean that. We all know carers who are doing wonderful work. My Department will spend more than €1.7 billion this year on our support payments to carers. If you look at my record, improving supports for our carers has been a key priority for me as Minister for Social Protection. I might also say that I was...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: I will be honest with the Minister - there is a crisis in care right across the State at the moment. If you look at childcare, for example, childcare units are closing on a weekly basis. Even though the people who provide childcare are professionals, they get some of the lowest wages in the State. Children in State care are in crisis at the moment. The State is putting children who are in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: We are going beyond the scope of the question.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Benefits (24 Sep 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: We do have an issue with care in this country and we have to value care more than we do.