Marian Harkin urges abolition of 'mean test' for carers' allowance
Marian Harkin addressed the Dáil about support for family carers and demanded the means test for carers' allowance be abolished. She called on the next government to commit to ending what she called the 'mean test' and to improve supports for carers, citing her own legislative work and the economic value of family care.
Marian Harkin framed the remarks as one of her final contributions in the 33rd Dáil and recalled her decade chairing the Carers Interest Group in the European Parliament. She said she brought forward a private member's bill during this Dáil and noted that recent legislation guaranteeing carers' leave has been placed on the statute books.
She criticised the current carers' allowance means test as strict and gender-biased, arguing it requires full-time care of at least 35 hours per week and a medical assessment to qualify. Harkin said the allowance's design reflects an out-of-date assumption about household incomes and urged that the means test - which she calls the 'mean test' - must be abolished in the lifetime of the next government.
Harkin quantified the contribution of family carers, saying they support well over 100,000 people and save the State large sums annually - citing figures of approximately €120 million in County Leitrim, €260 million in County Sligo and €600 million in County Donegal. She welcomed a recent increase in the income disregard for carers' allowance but said it came from an extremely low base and that the work of finishing that reform must continue.
She framed caring as a societal issue rather than only a private or women's issue, stressing that most people will either need care or give care in their lifetimes. Harkin urged all party leaders and independents to guarantee the abolition of the means test and to commit to stronger supports for family carers going forward.
Campaign and legislative background
Marian Harkin framed the remarks as one of her final contributions in the 33rd Dáil and recalled her decade chairing the Carers Interest Group in the European Parliament. She said she brought forward a private member's bill during this Dáil and noted that recent legislation guaranteeing carers' leave has been placed on the statute books.
Main demand - abolish the means test
She criticised the current carers' allowance means test as strict and gender-biased, arguing it requires full-time care of at least 35 hours per week and a medical assessment to qualify. Harkin said the allowance's design reflects an out-of-date assumption about household incomes and urged that the means test - which she calls the 'mean test' - must be abolished in the lifetime of the next government.
Economic value of family carers
Harkin quantified the contribution of family carers, saying they support well over 100,000 people and save the State large sums annually - citing figures of approximately €120 million in County Leitrim, €260 million in County Sligo and €600 million in County Donegal. She welcomed a recent increase in the income disregard for carers' allowance but said it came from an extremely low base and that the work of finishing that reform must continue.
Appeal to political leaders and societal framing of care
She framed caring as a societal issue rather than only a private or women's issue, stressing that most people will either need care or give care in their lifetimes. Harkin urged all party leaders and independents to guarantee the abolition of the means test and to commit to stronger supports for family carers going forward.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Denis Naughten
Denis Naughten: Pledges Means-Test Change and Delivers Farewell
Mattie McGrath
Mattie McGrath urges urgent action on delayed special school classrooms
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan: Demands answer on 10-year delay to section 6
Mattie McGrath
Mattie McGrath criticises Appropriations Bill, praises colleagues
Richard O'Donoghue
Richard O'Donoghue: Proposes VAT-backed 95% mortgage guarantee
Mary Lou McDonald
Deputy Mary Lou McDonald- speech from 6 Nov 2024
Transcript
Thank you, Lascan Corla. It's appropriate that my second-last contribution for the 33rd Dáil, I expect, is on the issue of how we care for carers. And indeed, I put forward a private member's bill on this during this Dáil, and that carries on from my work in the European Parliament, where I chaired the Carers Interest Group for 10 years. And indeed, one of the pieces of legislation we were successful in bringing forward was a piece of legislation that's been put on the statute books here in recent times that will guarantee carers' leave. But what we're talking about today is how we support family carers, those who care for people who need care. And in truth, if any of us lives long enough, we'll either need care ourselves or we'll have to give care. So caring isn't a woman's issue. It's not just a family issue behind the closed door of the family home. Caring is a societal issue. And sometimes for those not involved in caring, they often think, yeah, it's a few hours here, a few hours there. But in truth, to receive carers' allowance, there's quite strict regulations in place. You have to satisfy a means test, which I've said many times has to be abolished. But you also have to provide full-time care of at least 35 hours per week to a person who is medically assessed as needing full-time care. So we see that's the reality of what we're talking about. Now, to be fair to the Minister, she has increased the income disregard for carers' allowance, and I acknowledged and welcomed that. But it was from an extremely low base Minister, from 28 to 2021, there was no increase in income disregard for carers' allowance. But we now need to finish that job, and the next government must commit to doing so. Because I said earlier, care is a societal issue. It's about how we value those who need care and those who give care. I have called the means test the mean test on so many occasions, and that's exactly what it is. Because if you look at the contribution of carers in Ireland, they care for well over 100,000 people. But looking at my own constituency, a quick back-of-the-envelope job tells me that the contribution of family carers in County Leitrim, for example, it saves the state €120 million every single year. In County Sligo, family carers save the state €260 million every single year. And in County Donegal, family carers save the state approximately €600 million every single year. So what we're asking for today is reasonable and proportionate. And as I said, the next government has to commit to it. And I suppose my final point on the means test for carers' allowance. Carers' allowance is a policy that's in place over 33 years. And it's gender biased because it started out when the majority of carers were women, nearly 100%. That's changed, but there's still more women caring than men or young carers. And the idea was that it would be a small income on the side where the man provided the main income for the household. So therefore, whether a person got carers' allowance or not was determined entirely by what was the income of the main breadwinner. We just cannot continue that situation. So what I want from all party leaders and independents is to hear that in the lifetime of the next government, whoever forms it, we will guarantee the abolition of the means test, or as I call it, the mean test for carers' allowance.