Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I second the motion. I too welcome the Minister to the House today. I thank my Labour Party colleagues for proposing the motion. As my colleague, Senator Sherlock, has said, we are dealing with 500,000 family carers. I have spoken previously to the Minister at the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands about the carer's allowance. We have had a number of debates on it. The simple fact is that we have many people in this country who do not qualify for carer's allowance because of the restricted means test or who are paid a half-rate carer's allowance.

I attended a recent pre-budget discussion in Buswells Hotel organised by Family Carers Ireland, which is calling for an increase in the carer’s allowance disregard to €1,000 for couples and €500 for single carers. I hope that is something the Government can do this year. The other issue that Family Carers Ireland has asked about is that we would bring the weekly payment up to €325. We all know that carers in this country are saving the State up to €20 billion per year. I think that is a figure on which we can all agree. Family Carers Ireland is also seeking for the means test to be disregarded over a period, bringing it right up to 2027. It is a reasonable ask of the Government that it would reduce or get rid of the means test in that period.

Senator Sherlock mentioned the domiciliary care allowance and I want to raise it also today. We in the Labour Party and Family Carers Ireland have called for the allowance to be extended to the age of 18. As the Minister is aware, at the moment it is paid to the age of 16, after which people have to apply for the disability allowance. In addition, it has been mentioned how difficult the application process is for the allowance. It has one of the highest rejections of all social welfare payments in the State, with more than 70% of appeals being successful. I have asked the Minister previously why we have to wait for an appeal to allow people to get a domiciliary care allowance. Something needs to happen. We have discussed at the Joint Committee on Autism the difficulty people experience with filling in forms. The Minister has said we need more data on the initial application. Something needs to happen with the domiciliary care allowance because 70% of the applications win on appeal, according to statistics from 2022. Something needs to be done to change the application form and to help the people who deserve the allowance most.As Senator Sherlock has said, we also need the Government to carry out, as a matter of urgency, a carer's allowance evaluation on what is happening with care in this country, as our population ages. There was a commitment in the programme for Government from the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, that this would be done by mid-2023. We do not know what is happening with that at the moment. Perhaps in her reply the Minister can let us know if she is aware of what is happening in respect of the review of care. I refer to the commission on care in this regard. The Minister or her officials may have some details on the current position in this regard.

Carer's allowance has been an issue for 33 years. There is absolutely no doubt that it needs to change. Too many people are outside of the system. We have 500,000 in the country at present who provide 24-7 care. This is something that needs to be said at every opportunity. These people are caring for their loved ones and they need help from the Government. Too many of them are only getting the half-rate carer's allowance or are not getting any allowance at all.

I will read out one of the many emails I have received on this issue because this is what brings it home and personalises it for me. It states:

Hi Mark. I hope you're well. I'm a full time carer to my son who's nine and has severe autism. He is non-verbal and has challenging behaviour. He doesn't always sleep. A year ago they means tested me and over €2.80 carer's was taken off me. I'm only receiving half-rate carers so I'm not even worth €130 to the State. Regardless of what my husband earns, this was my money, money going into my account to give me some kind of self-worth in the struggles I have day in and day out. Because of my son's condition, I have to be available 24-7 so it's not possible for me to have a regular nine to five job. Living with autism is very hard. No holidays as you would never get him on a plane. We bring him to matches which is very hard work but with only having my sister as backup, that's what we have got to do. You can't use a regular babysitter. They have tried and he has flipped.

I did appeal it and I lost. I really believe that decision makers have lost touch with how hard our lives are. It's 12 years since we have been on a holiday and probably we never will be again. When life is hard holidays help. It's something that we always look forward to. It's now not an option for us. Even going out to dinner is a struggle or going for a walk is a struggle. I've been scraped, bruised. Last week, we had a meltdown that lasted for over two hours. I really thought the police would arrive at my door. I know so many people in my situation with carers. It's an absolute disgrace. It's my turn tonight as we swap it around with myself and my husband. Mark, it's two in the morning and I write to you as I'm awake with my child.

That is what is happening with carers in this country and that lady is only on a half-rate carer's allowance. I also welcome our visitors into the Gallery today and they are the most important people, namely, June, Alicia, Matt, Tracy and, of course, her daughter Willow, Geraldine, Catherine, Trudy and Sandra. I also welcome Catherine Cox from Family Carers Ireland.

I know that the Minister has spoken about this issue. We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world and have a budget surplus but want to do something about carer's allowance once and for all. I know that the Minister has considered this. We have spoken about it at various committees. The Labour Party is calling on the Minister to back the calls from Family Carers Ireland so that this year, we will see something substantial for all the carers in this country