I condemn the horrific attack in Belfast on Monday. Our thoughts are with the victim and his family. I also condemn the racist attacks last night and join others in calling for an end to the violence.

I will talk to the Taoiseach today about the extreme pressure family carers are under. Some 71% are now struggling to make ends meet, according to the recent Family Carers Ireland report. Nearly half are experiencing extreme loneliness, are desperate for support that never comes and are feeling like their world is shrinking. This is an indictment of the Taoiseach's Government. The State, which should be there to help them, is actually making their lives harder and pushing an increasing number of carers into poverty. That is the grim reality. Imagine how frustrating it is for those carers to hear this Government's repeated claims that it values their work as they are forced to pay out-of-pocket for essential equipment and therapies that should be provided by the State. They are forced to jump through endless hoops just to qualify for carer's allowance and are living in constant fear that a new review or a new assessment will push them just over the threshold leaving them with nothing - no financial support and no services.

Catherine Rossiter, who cares for her 12-year-old twins, Aoife and Eoghan, launched this report with Family Carers Ireland. She said:

I often think my life is a test of human endurance. How much can I take as a carer before I break? What will happen to my young daughter and son then? The worry feels endless.

This is the reality for so many carers across the country. They are exhausted, drained and filled with dread when they think about the future. The vast majority of carers in this position are women. They are saving the State billions of euro every year and what are they getting in return? Loneliness, burn-out and poverty.

The Government has a growing reputation for making commitments and abandoning them. It committed to abolishing the means test for carers. Carers have had enough of empty promises, so will the Government keep this one? There is no excuse not to do so. We can afford it. It would cost €266 million, according to the report by the Parliamentary Budget Office. It could be paid for by tripling the bank levy on banks earning record profits, with money left over to invest in services. Will the Government abolish the means test for carers in the forthcoming budget? Will it give carers that reassurance of making that commitment to them now?

The Government does acknowledge and takes very seriously the role of carers in our society. I acknowledge that we have made commitments in the programme for Government, particularly the commitment in terms of the weekly income disregard and that we would eliminate the means test, essentially. Already, as part of the most recent budget, and from this July, the weekly income disregard will increase from €625 to €1,000 for a single person and from €1,250 to €2,000 for carers who are part of a couple. The latest reforms will result in more carers qualifying for carer's allowance. In effect, it means that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €110,000 will still retain their full carer's payment, and even with an income of €138,000 will retain a partial payment. That is a significant step taken already in respect of the programme for Government commitment to abolish the means test for carer's allowance over the lifetime of the Government, which is the commitment we made.

In addition to that, the carer's support grant of €2,000 is paid this month. We will in the forthcoming budget further develop on that commitment and further realise it in terms of the income disregard and the means test. We increased the core weekly social welfare rates by €10. The highest ever increases in child support payments occurred in the last budget. I took a keen interest in that with the Minister, Dara Calleary, because of the unit in my Department dealing with child poverty. We increased the child support payment for children aged 12 or over by €16 to €78 and for children under 12 by €8 to €58. Since 2020, that is, in the past five years, the weekly child support payment has increased by 95% for children aged 12 or over and by 61% for children under 12. I heard the Children's Rights Alliance this morning describe that as a significant move, although recent inflation in fuel prices has negated it to some extent. Nonetheless, it is recognised generally as a more targeted way of dealing with child poverty. We have increased the fuel allowance. We increased the domiciliary care allowance by €20, bringing it to €380 per month now. That has gone up by €70 since 2022. We are progressively increasing key payments that will help carers and children who are being cared for. The Minister is also working on proposals, and there has been a public consultation, in respect of the cost-of-disability payment. A lot of work has been done on that. There was a focus network summit on 13 May last in respect of that specific issue, which was hosted by the Minister for Social Protection.

The Taoiseach says he acknowledges the role of carers and acknowledges the need to abolish the means test ultimately over the lifetime of this Government. I assume he acknowledges, then, that the changes in the threshold do not abolish it but, rather, slowly work towards that. I appreciate that the Government is doing that but if I am right, I can take it from the Taoiseach's reply that the Government does not plan to abolish it entirely in this budget, and that it is something it plans to do over the lifetime of the Government. I ask the Taoiseach to reconsider that because when you consider the very fortunate position the Government is in in terms of record surpluses as well as the reality of this report, which shows that 75% of carers have never received respite, 76% have cut back on non-essentials, 32% report bad mental health and 48% experience severe loneliness, this is something the Government can do now. It would cost €266 million when carers are saving the State billions of euro. I ask the Taoiseach to seriously reconsider and to consider doing this in the next budget. It is something the Government has committed to doing. It needs to happen now. Will the Government do it?

As I said, we are going to do it. We did give the commitment that it would happen over the lifetime of the Government. I would not underestimate the step we have already taken because I think that when this lands in July, the increase in the income disregard will actually be quite significant, maybe more significant than people thought. We will make a further significant move in the forthcoming budget and I think we will be well on the way then to eliminating the means test.

Of course, there is a wide variety of measures we have to take to improve the situation for carers and people with disabilities more generally. We are looking at a new transport scheme to be introduced by the Department of Transport and the Minister for Transport, which we have been working on in the Cabinet subcommittee on disability. I mentioned already family support payments and the cost-of-disability initiative. There is a wide range of areas, if you bring them all together, that will make a meaningful difference. Of course, there is the investment in core services as well. What can alleviate a lot of pressures on people is providing other supports such as-----

Your time is up, Taoiseach.

-----therapies, as we are doing in the school-based therapy service, which will take some pressure off carers.