Carol Nolan demands urgent review of Cares Allowance and €325 weekly pay
Carol Nolan asked the minister for an urgent review of the Cares Allowance, seeking abolition of the means test and an increase to €325 per week. She said carers are struggling and save the State $20 billion, and called for immediate action.
Request to review Cares Allowance
Carol Nolan pressed the minister to commit to an urgent review of the Cares Allowance with a view to abolishing the means test element and to increase the weekly rate to €325.
Appeal on carers' situation and state savings
She argued that carers are really struggling and highlighted that they save the State $20 billion, warning that if carers are not supported the burden will return to government.
Minister's acknowledgement and recent changes
The minister acknowledged the vital role of carers and noted the first changes to the means test were made in the last Budget after about 14 years. The minister described the issue as close to their heart and said progress is being sought.
Budget process and related reviews
The minister said the matters raised will be considered in the lead-up to the Budget and that issues arising from the Pensions Commission relevant to carers are under active consideration.
Next steps and political implications
Carol Nolan sought a clear commitment to both an immediate review and the temporary increase to €325 per week while broader reforms are pursued ahead of the next Budget.
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Minister, I want to ask you about the Cares Allowance. Will you commit to an urgent review of the Cares Allowance with a view to abolishing the means test element of the Allowance? And in the meantime, will you and government commit to increasing the weekly rate of Cares Allowance to €325? Our Cares are really struggling at the moment, Minister, as they have for some time. But the fact that they save this state $20 billion needs to be taken into consideration. If our Cares are not supported, then the burden is going to come back onto government. That is what is going to happen. So I think we need to do this review and also increase their Allowance to €325 per week. Will you agree to this, Minister? Thanks, Deputy Nolan. I fully agree with you about the incredible role that our Cares play around the country. We can never really properly recognise the work that they do. We did make the first changes in the means test in the last Budget, I think, for about 14 years. That was a step forward and all of this will be considered in the lead-up to the Budget. And, of course, there were issues arising from the Pensions Commission as well that are directly relevant to Carers. And that matter is also under active consideration at the moment. But it is an issue that is close to my own heart and we are anxious to make progress on it. So, to answer that trick, sometimes the pressure is partially that we as well as we are making progress on it. And of course, we have to us at the finished task. We need to get back to the next step. We can also get back to the next step. Yeah, we can 왜 back. We have to come back. We can be able to find more really important. So, what do we do?
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