Carers' body: Budget 'does not go far enough'

The body representing family carers in the home has said the measures announced in today's Budget "do not go far enough to deliver real support to Ireland’s family carers".

The Carers Association, the national representative organisation for Ireland’s 150,000 family carers, welcomed the increases in the carers' allowance and the respite care grant in today’s Budget, however.

(The specific amount of the increase in the carers' allowance has yet to be announced. The respite care grant was increased by €300 to €1,500.)

"While increases in the carers' allowance and the respite care grant will certainly provide a degree of additional support to some family carers, full-time carers who do not receive the carers allowance due to the means test are still left without any financial reward following today’s Budget," the Carers Association said today in a statement.

"These increases will do very little to address the real difficulties experienced by Ireland's family carers, who currently provide over 3.5 million unpaid hours of care every week and contribute over €2.1bn to Ireland’s social economy," said Carers Association CEO Enda Egan.

Minister for Finance Brian Cowen also announced the introduction of 2,000 more home care packages and the increase in home help hours, measures which were also welcomed by the Carers Association.