Outcry would be ‘worse than medical cards’

THERE will be a massive public outcry if the Government cuts allowances for carers, an Oireachtas committee has been warned.

Social Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin recently suggested carers could be an “obvious” target for the special group appointed by the Government to identify cutbacks in public spending.

But appearing before the Oireachtas committee on social affairs yesterday, the chief executive of the Carers’ Association Enda Egan said the Government would be making a gross mistake if it reduced the allowances.