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CARERS WILL BE more than €300 out of pocket next year as the government revealed a cut to their annual payment, the Respite Care Grant in its budget for 2013.
The weekly rates of Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit will be maintained in 2013 and carers who are caring for more than one person will continue to retain the extra weekly payment they receive.
However the annual grant carers receive to contribute towards respite care will now be at the reduced rate of €1,375 representing a cut of more than €300.
The grant is paid to more than 77,000 families in the country, 20,000 of whom receive no other support from the state for providing full-time care for a family member. It is used by carers to buy home care or pay for residential respite care in order to give them a break from their caring role.
The cut of more than 19 per cent has been criticised by the Carer’s Association which said it is “extremely disappointed” as the grant allowed carers a “much needed break”.
“Despite working seven days a week, 365 days a year, carers are entitled to no holidays and no breaks,” Catherine Cox of the Carer’s Association said. “This grant goes some way towards allowing this.”
“We continue to see a huge disparity between policy and practice on the ground where core services to family carers such as home help hours continue to be slashed while government make promises of supporting, valuing and empowering family carers,” she added.
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Irish politicians are so selfish. The cut a carers allowance of €1700 by 19% and only cut their own €34000 expenses by 10%
FFG/Labour proudly carrying on FF policies since 2011
Cal1Mooney …proudly repeating the same comments on multiple Journal pages since God was a boy.
I wonder how many Government have had to personally look after somebody?
Noonan had to have looked after his wife which makes this decision incredible. He has first hand experience of caring for someone you love and the difficulties, devastation and hurt it can bring.
I am not unsympathetic to Minister Noonan’s loss but I am referring to those who would have had to do it fulltime without any other means of support.
Begrudry he also threatened to drag a dying mother of a young family through the courts when he was minister for health.So nothing about his actions would surprise me.
Noonan also attacked Lenihan for taking more off the third child allowance in FFs last budget. Now he does the same. He shouldn’t even be in office. Remember Mrs McCole and the Hep scandal. He is a joke!
Creeps. Filthy spineless creeps.
To be honest I think Carers should never be touched ever!!!!! They save this state nearly 2billion annually by caring for their loves ones. How would Howlin and Noonan feel if they stopped this love and care and forced the state to take care of them. Guess what they couldn’t!!!!reverse this appalling disgusting cut now!!!!!!!
The Labour Party has completely sold out. Minature Howlin almost took pleasure in announcing savage cuts which affect the lowest paid and the most vunerable. Bring on the election.
As long as it’s not Fianna Fail who’ll replace them.
Or SF!
Do you think Enda cares if he gets kicked out at the next election? No, because he’ll have all the more time to spend his big fat pension.
I’ve never had such utter contempt for any politician before as I have for this lying, yellow bellied, dim witted buffoon.
And vote for the same shower of gobs. Oh yes please some more of the same please.. Shame votes don’t even work anymore.. Sad day for Ireland & it’s ordinary People..
The reason alot of Carers cant go out and protest is because we are at home CARING…its disgusting to see a bunch of overpaid ministers turning on the very people who save them so much !! i have been a carer for 6 years and believe me i wouldnt wish the stress and pressure that caring can have on anyone.
They should hang their heads in shame.
The cruelest cut by far. You forgot to mention that the Respite Care Grant is also paid to parents caring cull-time for their severely disabled children. Targeting the most vunerable yet again.
*full-time
Why isn’t everyone out protesting ???? Hear So many angry voices but no one willing to do anything about it ,… And yes I’m there doing my bit .
Because Irish people are sheep. Always have been and always will be.
“Vote yes for stability” (!)
Disgusted, I’m caring for my daughter full time, how much would it cost the state if i said I couldn’t cope with her anymore and put her into state care? Mean miserable shower
I totally agree with you.I look after my mother and father my son and my wife all whom are disabled.How much would it cost the state if we all coild not cope with our loved ones and put them into care.A total disgrace for all us careers.The state have and always will use our love for our families against us.I think it’s time we all stood up to the government like the pensioner’s did and get this overturned.
How much did they were reducing ministers pay and pensions by?
They’re not.
No surprises there then
Horrified by this. Will affect me and with the other cuts in this budget it will hit hit really hard. Never mind my partner is waiting since last January for a decision on Carers allowance!
God forgive these rotten bas—s for the way they at treating these people, the people of Ireland should just stop paying, until these f— s stop paying gambling deaths of the gangster bankers.
This Christmas I’m wrapping up batteries for my kids with a note on saying: “Toys not included”.
We are too quite as a nation to stand up and push back. Maybe we don’t know how to go about this collectively but people of Ireland it’s time to finally show that enough is enough. No more! Recently two Waterford women organised a march via Facebook to protect the WRH. A fantastic turnout between 15-20k people marching /protesting together. We need something like this country wide folks. We really do.
Labour, the budget won’t hurt?
MEAN, MEAN, MEAN.
I think I would prefer Berlin’s way than Labour’s way.
Picking on the weak, poor and the in-need… the hallmarks of the Irish government all over it! I can’t wait for the day when the bear being beat with the whip (the weak, poor and in-need) finally snaps and rips the head off the handler.
I know money has to be raised but this cut in particular is just wrong wrong wrong
We the people of Ireland, the oppressed and down trodden must, for the sake of our dignity rise up against this cruel slaughter and destruction of our islanders. Unite for the sake of our brothers and sisters for the masses shall protect our values as we
journey in pursuit of justice as keepers of the flame of Eire.
I hope Vincent Browne points this out tonight. 10% cut from an expense of 30k…The pure greed of them.
There simply better had to be somewhere better to take the money from.
My mother is a carer and saves the state a lot of money by caring for a severely ill sibling. If these people can’t protest then I believe every close relative should unite and rise up together to protest, in their name, to have this despicable act overturned. These carers devote 24/7 365 doty and are the most selfless of people – a far cry from those corrupted buffoon politicians.
My mother is a carer and saves the state a lot of money by caring for a severely ill sibling. If these people can’t protest then I believe every close relative should unite and rise up together to protest, in their name, to have this despicable act overturned. These carers devote 24/7 365 doty and are the most selfless of people – a far cry from those corrupted buffoon politicians.
Just to share Vincent Brown show asked about giving back 150k pensions to former polictans and why that couldnt be stoped, it was stated that their was an expected intitlement, a build up right of intitlement, and a legitmate expectation to the payment. This was the legal advice from the attorney general,
Is that not the case for child allowance plus the respite care grant that over time that you have the same right, so why not challange this or are we all not equal ???
The same budget allocated 55.2 million euro to horse and greyhound industries…hardly essential services. Two gambling related industries that claim to be vital to the economy. If they are so lucrative, why does the government need to give them handouts? Mind-boggling: throwing money at the nags and the corruption (and cruelty) ridden doggie business while attacking thje most vulneranle people in our society!
I’m devastated. I had no choice but to give up my career as a nurse to look after my autistic son single handedly, I,m ashamed to say that I have to rely on Carers allowance to live. Last year the government cut that allowance and now they are cutting the respite package and the fuel allowance too. I just dont know how Im going to manage or which way to turn,
have your say