Carers to gather outside Dáil in protest over respite care grant cuts

Around 100 family carers will gather outside the Dáil this afternoon to protest over the cut to their respite care grant.

The grant, which is generally used to allow carers take a break from their duties, has been slashed by over €300 as part of Budget 2013.

Sinn Féin says it will affect 77,000 families, around one third of whom receive no other State payment.

Meanwhile, St Vincent de Paul is reporting a surge of callers to their services, in the wake of Budget 2013.

The charity says they are getting desperate messages from people contacting them through social media in particular and are warning that people are standing at a poverty precipice.