Carers appeal over upcoming budget

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Carers have urged the Government not to impose cuts to their allowances in the forthcoming budget.

The Carers’ Association presented its pre-submission to Ministers, TDs and Senators today.

It expressed concern at a possible cut to the half-rate carers’ allowance of €106 per week. The sum is currently available to full-time carers in receipt of another social welfare payment.

The association’s chief executive Enda Egan said the rate was “seriously under threat”, given the proposal in the McCarthy report that dual social welfare payments should be eliminated.

“Yet this payment, a serious lifeline for many carers, is given in recognition of the full-time care they provide and to help with the increasing costs of care,” Mr Egan said.

“If this allowance is cut, this will mean a 30 per cent income drop for the 19,134 carers in receipt of this payment. This is completely unacceptable and a cut which no other group is being asked to accept.”

The organisation asked the Government to consider the cumulative effects of social welfare and service cuts to family carers.

It said cutbacks imposed in last year’s budget, as well as the removal of the Christmas bonus, had meant carers had seen their incomes fall by 5 per cent.

“They also have to deal with this cut in a climate of increased costs in health related services, such as GP and prescription charges and private health insurance,” the association said.

It says the 160,917 family carers, including 40,883 full-time family carers provide 3.7 million hours of unpaid care each week, which it said equated to a saving of over €2.5 billion each year.

“This year, the Central Statistics Office estimates that Ireland could now have as many as 274,000 family carers.

“Given that carers’ health is adversely affected by their caring role, with over 50 per cent being diagnosed with a mental health problem, if just one in 10 full-time carers decided they were unable to provide care, replacement care would cost Government €165 million each year.