Results 181-200 of 1,065,159 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Joan Collins OR speaker:Patrick Costello OR speaker:Pearse Doherty OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:Eamon Ryan OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Colm Brophy OR speaker:Pádraig O'Sullivan)

Carer's Allowance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Michael Ring: That is fine.

Carer's Allowance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: In response to the speeches of the Ministers of State, while I appreciate the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is doing Estimates, it is a pity she was not able to pop in for some of the debate, in particular in relation to the delay in threshold increases. Sinn Féin would have gone a lot further, committing €100 million to significantly increase the thresholds, than the Government...

Carer's Allowance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Mairead Farrell: I am sure the Aire Stáit and his Government colleagues agree that the work carers do is extremely important and that carers deserve to be recognised for that work and supported in return. It is work done with love to allow our family members, friends, neighbours and members of our community who need care to continue to live at home and remain in their communities. It is work done by...

Carer's Allowance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Question put and agreed to.

Carer's Allowance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Michael Ring: I want to take this opportunity - it might be the last time I am in the Chair - to thank the Ceann Comhairle for his great work over the past number of years. He has been a tremendous Ceann Comhairle, has done a tremendous job and has been fair to everybody in the House. I want to put that on the record. I also compliment the Ceann Comhairle's wonderful staff. The House would not run...

Carer's Allowance: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important motion. However, I want to note my frustration. I have been calling for the abolition of the means test for the entirety of this Dáil term. I have first-hand experience. I was a carer before I was elected. My current secretary is a carer. The value of carers' work in caring for their loved ones should never have been taken for...

Carer's Allowance: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Debate adjourned.

Estimates for Public Services 2024: Message from Select Committee (6 Nov 2024)

Estimates for Public Services 2024: Message from Select Committee (6 Nov 2024)

Michael Ring: The Select Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands has completed its consideration of the following Supplementary Estimate for Public Services for the service of the year ending on 31 December 2024: Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development.

Carer's Allowance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Carer's Allowance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Debate resumed on the following motion: - (Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire)

Carer's Allowance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

James Browne: The Government is very aware of the valuable work being carried out by family carers. This is evidenced by the extensive measures it has taken to support carers over recent years. The approach to date has been targeted and has involved increases to payment rates in conjunction with earnings disregard increases and targeted cost-of-living lump sum and double payments. This approach was...

Carer's Allowance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Matt Carthy: The carer's allowance means test should be abolished and Sinn Féin is committed to abolishing it. We have heard lots of messages of support from across this House indicating that the means test should be abolished. Let us be very clear. There will be only one political party going to the electorate with a costed plan to abolish the means test. The reason we are doing that is very...

Carer's Allowance: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Thomas Pringle: I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this motion regarding the abolition of the carer's allowance means test. I fully support this motion, particularly its calls on the Government to put in place a pay-related carer's benefit scheme and to abolish the means test for the carer's allowance. This Government, in its most recent budget and its four previous budgets, has failed, time...

Carer's Allowance: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. It is an issue about which this group has talked many times during my time in the Dáil since 2016. I welcome the motion and also welcome the fact that the Government is not opposing it. However, no timespan has been given for the abolition of the means test. It is the most basic thing we should do in our Republic, along with...

Carer's Allowance: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Marian Harkin: It is appropriate that my second last contribution to the Thirty-third Dáil is on the issue of how we care for carers. I put forward a Private Members' Bill on this issue during this Dáil, which carried on from my work in the European Parliament where I chaired the carers interest group for ten years. One of the pieces of legislation we were successful in bringing forward was...

Carer's Allowance: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Mattie McGrath: I compliment Sinn Féin for tabling this motion. We sound patronising here but we just cannot thank carers enough. They really are angels of mercy for the work they do and the way they do it. I had the privilege yesterday, along with Councillor Richie Molloy, of welcoming to the Dáil Gallery and the Dáil restaurant a group of carers who had earlier attended a function in the...

Carer's Allowance: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Michael Healy-Rae: I thank Sinn Féin for bringing this very important motion before the Dáil. Carers are the unsung heroes of Ireland, providing essential care that supports both their loved ones and the broader healthcare system. The current means test for carer's allowance is a significant barrier that prevents many carers from receiving the support they need. Abolishing this means test would not...

Carer's Allowance: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Michael Ring: Thank you very much for your kind words.

Carer's Allowance: Motion [Private Members] (6 Nov 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: If we look around the Public Gallery we see the next generation of people. We are their carers. The vulnerable people in this country are being penalised for caring for people. They are being penalised. The means test for anyone that is caring for somebody should be abolished. It is caring; that is what they are doing. If we look at the money paid to the people at the very top levels of...