Budget ’24 is an opportunity to reward our carers – Byrne

Our family carers are hidden heroes in society and Budget 2024 is an opportunity to reward them, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Senator Maria Byrne highlighted the commitment the government gave to carers in Budget 2023 and stated that there is a need to keep this momentum going.

“I welcome the fact that Minister Humphreys is working to deliver a pension for long term carers for the first time. Last year carers received a once off payment of €500 through the Carers Support Grant and a €12 increase in the weekly rate of Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit.

“The work of family carers is invaluable. It is estimated that family carers save the state €20 billion per annum. They also assist with protecting our health care systems, with approximately 1 in 8 adults being a family carer.

“In a recent study by Family Carers Ireland, 88% of carers feel the value of their workload is not recognised by society. It is time we addressed this frustration and Budget 2024 is an opportune time to do this.

“We have been committed to putting money back in people’s pockets, and that includes carers. We must ensure that family carers feel truly valued for their hard work.

“There are many avenues for family carers that must be considered in the upcoming budget, such as a review of the current Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit.

“Young carers are also struggling. To claim Carer’s Allowance you can only be in part time education, but the SUSI grant is not available to those in part time courses. This leaves young carers confused about their rights.

“Long term planning is needed; our National Carer’s Strategy has not been updated since 2012 and a revision is needed. However, in the interim we can use this budget to make a difference for family carers who have been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

“We must strive to find a long-term solution to these issues, but Budget 2024 is an opportunity to demonstrate to carers how their work is valued.”, Senator Byrne concluded.