Government is helping carers

I AM responding to your editorial and associated articles in relation to carers in your July 29 edition.

The Government is acutely aware and appreciative of the contribution made by carers in our society. It is for this reason that we have invested heavily in improving social welfare rates and services for all those who are reliant on the State for income support. Over the past decade, weekly payment rates to carers have greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer’s allowance have significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer’s benefit, half-rate carer’s allowance and the respite care grant have been introduced and extended. In 2000, €€99.6m was spent by Government on all carer’s allowances and benefits including the respite care grant. In 2010 the spend will be €€726m.

All of our welfare schemes have qualifying conditions, including in some cases PRSI contributions, in others a means test and in a number of schemes, the habitual residence condition (HRC). These conditions are to maintain the integrity of the system and ensure that income support is provided to those most in need. In your editorial you say “Such abuse [welfare tourism] should be stamped out, but we need to ensure that people with genuine entitlements are fairly treated.” I very much agree with this and that is why the HRC is based on objective and transparent criteria.