Seven months on from the General Election and family carers are still in the dark as to when the Government will honour its commitment to abolish the means test for carers allowance for the hundreds of thousands of people engaged in this care.
Raising the issue in the Seanad, Aontú Senator Sarah O’ Reilly termed the uncertainty very “disquieting and disappointing for family carers”.
Addressing the Minister for Social Protection, Dara Callery, Senator O’ Reilly said
“Minister, you have said here today that the Government remains deeply committed to supporting carers and to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget, with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government”.
“I’m totally confused by this. It is not clear at all. What does it actually mean? I’m sure you can appreciate that the term “with a view to” is more than slightly ambiguous.”
Pre-election you gave clear commitments to get rid of this means test. It’s in the actual Programme for Government
.
I’d like to know if your department can provide a detailed breakdown and timeline of when the means test will be abolished. Anything less is obfuscation and is deeply cynical.
Half a million or so family carers in this country are saving the state some €20 Billion a year; that is a staggering amount of money.
So many of them work round the clock, they have forfeited their careers in many cases, their pension credits, they get scant respite, and they deserve more than hollow lip service from this state. So many of them live in a state of perpetual exhaustion but they go on as they love the people they care for
We are seeing this right across the board …foster families and carers are two of the hardest pressed groups in their country. It is terrible to say this, but the government knows that carers can’t and won’t walk away. They can’t and won’t go on strike.
There is another terrible anomaly here also; We are constantly hearing about ‘women’s rights, equality and inclusion’ from this so called ‘progressive ‘government but it is shocking to know that the women who are family carers are often denied carers allowance because of their husbands’ salaries.
This is truly staggering. It is unjust, it is deeply hypocritical from a government that parades its ‘progressive’ credentials at every opportunity it can.
“Aontú has been one of the most consistent voices on this issue. We have brought forward two motions on the abolition of the means test as a point of principle as we believe that carers have a fundamental right to a fair and decent wage for the work they do. We fervently believe that no matter what financial circumstances family carers come from, if they care for loved ones they deserve to be paid. This is s a fundamental right. Anything less is exploitation.
“We will not rest until this Government honours its pre-election promise to completely get rid of this means test and starts with a totally clear timeline.
