Full-time carers must be recognised in Budget 2024 – Currie & Byrne

Full time carers of children and people with a disability need to be recognised in Budget 2024, two Fine Gael Senators have said.

Senators Emer Currie and Maria Byrne have called on the Minister for Social Protection to single out the thousands of carers whose full-time role is to care for their child or loved one with a disability by increasing the income disregards for Carers Allowance.

Senator Currie said: “The number of unpaid carers in Ireland has increased dramatically in the last seven years, jumping by 51% since the 2016 census and making up 6% of the population. Not a week goes by that I do not meet or hear from a parent who cares full time for a disabled child. Often, they have given up their jobs to do so.

“These parents, a lot of them who are women, dedicate their lives to caring, not just because their child depends on it, but because of the insufficiency of state services. The waiting lists for assessments, the shortage of staff to provide therapies and the lack of respite available to them leave them with limited options. The eco-system to support disabled children and their families simply isn’t there. Caring full-time also includes time spent chasing down services, with many parents becoming advocates and activists.

“A significant number of households face the double-hit of losing a salary as well as taking on the additional costs of disability, which can cost between €167 and €237 per week. Too many are out of reach of the state supports that are available to them – like Carer’s Allowance or the Housing Adaption Grant. And while the Department of Social Protection has certainly enhanced Carer’s Allowance over recent years and enabled more people to qualify for the payment, it must go further again in Budget 2024.

“Currently Carer’s Allowance income disregards apply to their households rather than to carers themselves, making many carers feel invisible. The Department of Health needs to think seriously about a Basic Income for Carers for the invaluable work they do.”

Senator Maria Byrne said: “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, which is something Senator Currie and I raised during a meeting with Minister Humphreys this week. 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.”