Brennan commits to carers’ strategy and increased benefits
The minister said he wanted to expand and increase benefits and supports for carers in future budgets and also through other initiatives that recognise the valuable contribution of carers in society.
In particular, he intended expanding the income limits for the carer’s allowance so that all those on average industrial incomes can qualify. He said he also wanted to increase the respite grant, from its current value of €1,200.
Launching the Carers Association of Ireland’s new information pack for carers, support groups and information providers, the minister said he expected to launch the carers’ strategy next year.
Mr Brennan said the Government planned to eradicate all the “bureaucratic wrangling” that carers endured in getting products and services from the State.
“Everybody wins if we develop a system that supports carers,” he said.
Mr Brennan said the new Social Partnership Agreement, Towards 2016, prioritised the drawing up of a comprehensive national carers’ strategy that would fully address the provision of services, supports and entitlements for carers.
He said the consultation process would begin when the agreement was signed in the next few weeks.
The Carers Association, which represents Ireland’s 150,000 family carers, spent more than two years researching and collating the information pack.
The pack provides family carers with all the information they require from when they first become a carer to assisting them throughout their caring role and helping them to deal with the challenges they face.
The association’s chief executive, Enda Egan, said there was often confusion surrounding rights, entitlements, supports and services for carers and a lack of accurate up-to-date information on how to access these services. “This pack will provide that one-stop-shop on information for family carers,” said Mr Egan.
