Carers do a tremendous job day in, day out across the country. According to census figures, there are 195,263 carers, of whom 118,000 are women and 3,800 are under the age of 15. They provide 6,608,515 care hours each week. Women provide more than two thirds of the care and young carers under the age of 15 provide 2.2 million care hours each year. They provide 24-hour care for some of our most vulnerable people and save the State billions of euro each year. The most recent figure of which I am aware indicates an annual saving of approximately €4 billion. They provide care for thousands of people in their own homes, keeping them out of nursing homes and freeing up thousands of hospital beds. I dread to think what our health and hospital services would be like without these carers. The current health crisis would become absolute mayhem without them.

However, carers receive very little financial or other support in return. If they successfully overcome the massive 17-week delay in processing carer's allowance applications, they will receive the princely sum of €1.20 per hour on the full rate or €0.60 per hour on the half rate. There is little or no respite care available to give carers a break. Many have health problems arising from their caring duties. Carers may be housebound due to lack of support, suffer from exhaustion or experience emotional and mental health difficulties. The 17-week wait for decisions on carer's allowance applications is unacceptable. Some 40% of applications are refused but, following a wait of up to 12 months for the review and appeal of applications, more than 60% of the appeals and reviews are granted.

Will the Taoiseach agree to resource and staff the carer's allowance section of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection to enable it to issue a decision on these applications within a reasonable time limit such as six weeks? Will the Government increase the carer's allowance payment in line with the minimum wage and ensure that respite care is available to support the health and welfare needs of carers?

The Government very much values and appreciates the work of carers, family carers in particular, in looking after their loved ones. As a Government, we are determined to support them. Those are not just words, as we have demonstrated in the past couple of years.

We fully restored the carer support grant which was cut by another Government some years ago. The carer's allowance and carer's benefit will increase in late March to a level higher than that in place before the financial crisis. Last year, we extended free GP care to those in receipt of carer's allowance or carer's benefit because carers also need to be cared for. When I was Minister for Social Protection, I brought in a 12-week rule whereby carers continue to receive carer's allowance or carer's benefit for three months after ceasing to be a carer, such as when their loved one passes away or goes into a nursing home, for example, in order to give them time to get back on their feet, readjust and find a new life for themselves. I am very proud to have been part of making some of those changes. Carers are allowed to work part time because some carers who we support financially are not full-time carers and are able to undertake part-time work. The means test is among the most generous internationally and carers are allowed to earn additional income on top of the carer's payments, which are among the highest in the world.

Crucially, last year and this year respite services were and are being extended because carers need time off. The best way we can support them in that regard is to ensure that more respite is available for those for whom they care. That is why an additional respite house is being established in every community care area in the country, a process that is very much driven by the leadership of the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath.

The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, has apologised already for the delays in processing applications. Work is being done to improve the situation and allocate more staff to the section to ensure that applications are processed far more quickly than is currently the case. The applications are not always straightforward. The process differs from other applications because in addition to a means test, a medical report to verify that the person being cared for needs full-time or close to full-time care is required. That is one of the reasons why they take somewhat longer to process than other applications. However, we accept that the processing times are too long and are resourcing the section and changing procedures to speed them up. Of course, as is the case with many social welfare allowances and benefits, arrears are paid once eligibility has been determined.

I am not sure from what hymn sheet the Taoiseach is singing but his comments are pie in the sky and completely out of touch with reality. If he were to telephone the carer's allowance section of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, he would be told that the current waiting period is 17 weeks. That is worse than was the case six months ago. In June of last year we were told that the waiting period was 15 weeks, which was also unacceptable. However, the situation has worsened. I and many other Deputies are aware of cases in which those being cared for passed away during the application process.

An urgent and comprehensive review of how we deal with the caring situation, including the role of and support for carers, is needed. One thing the Taoiseach could do today would be to fully resource and staff the carer's allowance section of the Department to ensure a reasonable turnaround time of no more than six weeks for applications. Carers are waiting for that to be done. This is a very significant issue which the Taoiseach and the Government should address immediately.

I am advised that the current average number of weeks to award carer's allowance and carer's benefit currently stand at 17 weeks and 14 weeks, respectively. However, the vast majority of applicants do not wait that long. Some 70% of carer's allowance applications and 90% of carer's benefit applications are decided in less than 12 weeks. However, I fully appreciate that the delay can be very distressing for the 30% and 10% of applicants who must wait more than 12 weeks. The Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, is working on the issue and I have discussed it with her. I will ask her to furnish the Deputy with more detail on the actions being taken by the Department to reduce the waiting times.