Yesterday, I invited carers and their representative groups to visit Leinster House to explain to Deputies and Senators from all political parties how vital the respite care grant was to families affected by disability. The DCA Warriors, the Special Needs Parents Association and Aoibheann's Pink Tie, all of which are voluntary groups that do outstanding work, attended. Alongside the Carers Association and Inclusion Ireland, they gave powerful, heart-wrenching accounts of the hardships caused by the Government's 19% cut to the grant in budget 2013. That cut of €325 has meant that entire households are going without heating, children are going without therapies and special equipment, families are going deeper into debt and basic items such as shoes and schoolbags cannot be afforded. The cut extinguished any meaningful chance of respite for those families. It also had a demoralising effect on this already fragile group. As one carer put it, a savage cut of such a disproportionate size in respect of families with special needs was degrading and made many feel worthless.

Budget 2015 was supposed to herald the end of austerity, but the family carers have been provided with no relief. Will the Tánaiste please reflect on what I am telling her and on the testimony given by carers in the AV room yesterday and use the upcoming Social Welfare Bill to restore the €325 to the respite care grant? The wider Irish public wants the Government to give carers some relief. A petition issued during the week received 2,000 signatures within 24 hours and a lot more since. I urge the Tánaiste to take the time to read the testimony that is attached to some of those signatures. It would be appropriate of her to do so while reflecting on the Bill in the coming weeks.

I acknowledge all of the work that carers do in Irish society. That is why the Government prioritises a range of supports for carers that are probably among the most extensive in Europe.

The number of people in receipt of the respite carer's allowance has increased significantly during this Government's time. The Deputy knows this, as we have often debated it. The number of families and children qualifying for the domiciliary care allowance has increased significantly. As well as getting the domiciliary care allowance of nearly €300 per month, many of those families also qualify - properly - for the carer's allowance for all of the work they do for their children with physical or intellectual special needs.

The number of grants has increased since a couple of years ago when we entered office, when under 80,000 people were getting the grant. There are now almost 90,000 people getting the respite care grant. The actual expenditure and number of people qualifying have expanded significantly.

We have an ageing population.

Yes, absolutely.

More people are being cared for at home.

Please ignore the side comments.

That is why every year in social welfare we have been able to provide approximately an extra €200 million per year in each budget for all of those extra older people, carers and people getting the domiciliary care allowance in respect of their children. That is true; Deputy Troy is absolutely correct. The cost is in excess of €200 million per year.

We have difficult choices to make. When I met, as I do several times per year, representatives of carers' organisations, they emphasised maintaining the weekly rate of the full carer's allowance, which is significant. When we had to make savings in the context of the country's difficulties and we were spending significantly more in that area in total because of the extra numbers, I made a difficult choice. I know it was difficult for a lot of carers, but they and their organisations emphasised to me the primacy of maintaining the weekly rate. I am happy to say that, as Deputy Ó Snodaigh will be aware and as he surely told the people who came to his meeting, the carers and families who receive the domiciliary care allowance and the people with disabilities or older people for whom carers care will all receive small, but significant and important improvements for them and their families in the budget. First, in the first half of December, we will be paying them the Christmas bonus. For an individual carer, this will be somewhere around €50 or €60. If other people in the family are on social welfare and, as the Deputy has suggested, the carer has a number of children-----

Two and a half bags of coal.

-----in addition to those for whom he or she cares, the figure will be well over €100 up to €200. I can give Deputy Ó Snodaigh the details if he gives me the details of the families concerned.

Second, if a carer is looking after a disabled person and is living on his or her own - many are and do fabulous work - the living alone allowance for that person will increase to €9 per week.

By €1.30.

That has been widely welcomed by disability organisations. Regarding the children the Deputy mentioned, in January child benefit will increase by €5 per child. What the Deputy is suggesting in a way is to-----

I am sorry, but we have gone way over time.

-----increase carer's allowance at a cost. We have a limited budget with which to make improvements and we chose to concentrate on carers as well as older people and those living alone. As soon as we can-----

The Government chose tax cuts for the wealthy and cut the respite grant.

-----and resources allow, of course we will look at it. We look at it all of the time.

The Tánaiste stated that the number of carers and those in receipt of respite care grants had increased. While I acknowledge this, she must acknowledge that, to be awarded carer's allowance or the respite care grant, an onerous medical assessment is made of the caree. As such, each and every one of the people receiving those payments is a deserving case.

Hear, hear.

Those people deserve much more than this State has ever granted them.

We have examined the figures, as has the Carers Association. When the water charges are included, every family carer will be financially worse off next year than he or she is this year. I have the figures and can give them to the Tánaiste later if she wishes, but her Department is well capable of running them as well. The Tánaiste can prevent this situation from happening. Will she please use the Social Welfare Bill to restore to carers the €325 that the Government cut from the respite care grant two years ago? It would cost approximately €30 million.

That is substantially less than half of what the Government spent on consultants in Irish Water. Such a restoration would send out a solid message to carers and would be a badly-needed investment in carers. I ask the Tánaiste to give thought to this matter, as she has a number of weeks in which to take this appropriate action. Moreover, she would be praised were she to look again at the budgetary arithmetic and to find the money, whether it comes from Irish Water or wherever, to ensure these carers are properly appreciated rather than what is happening, which is they no longer are being appreciated because their income will be cut next year.

The Tánaiste has one minute.

I am happy to state that in addition to the partial restoration of the Christmas bonus in December, which will be highly significant for carers and other people in their households, the Government will be moving to improve the situation of carers, the people they care for, older people and children whose family are in receipt of a domiciliary care allowance. The Deputy's suggestion is to take money from some of those categories and to give it to carers.

That is not true.

I do not believe the Deputy's judgment in this instance is correct.

When did he say that?

I did not say that.

Most families want the respite grant back.

Please.

As the Deputy is aware, Sinn Féin makes an argument-----

The Tánaiste is out of touch and should show some leadership on the issue.

Sinn Féin makes the argument that its budgets are costed.

It is a disgrace how the Tánaiste is misrepresenting the issue.

In addition, carers with children will be getting an increase in child benefit in January, about which I am delighted. Second, the people they look after who live alone or who are older will get a living alone increase, being brought up to €9.

That has all been factored into the figures and they still are coming out with less.

As for Irish Water, all the groups of whom I have spoken - and specifically and importantly, carers - will get €100 to support water payments.

That is factored into the figures.

Consequently, in this budget carers have been at the heart of the Government's budget strategy-----

I will give the figures to the Tánaiste.

-----in terms of distributing a social welfare package of approximately €200.

That is not true. What about the tax cuts for the better off?

Deputy Shortall can give it back if she wishes but I do not think she will.

Sorry Tánaiste, we are over time.

A report was published in the North this morning, where the Deputy's party is in government, stating that the position of carers there is far worse than it is, for instance, in the South because the payments-----

It is to further a campaign for fiscal and financial power that we do not have. It calls for tax-raising powers because past Governments here did not support our demands for the transfer of financial and tax-raising powers.

Sinn Féin is in government there. I suggest to the Deputy it should take some responsibility. A report was issued in respect of carers in the North and Sinn Féin is responsible there. The Deputy should acknowledge-----

Sorry Tánaiste, we are five minutes over time.

Well over time.

-----as he did, that the Government has sought and has increased significantly the total amount it is spending on carers.

The Government has made its choices.

It spent €80 million on the consultants in Irish Water.

Sinn Féin in government in the North does not seem capable of addressing the issue. What is its problem?

I call Deputy Joan Collins on behalf of the Technical Group.