Government betrays Carers – Stanton

Fine Gael National Press Office Press Statement
Leinster House Contact: David Stanton TD
Dublin 2 Nick Miller Disability Spokesman
Ireland 01 6183358 / 086 6992080

Tuesday 3rd March 2009

Government betrays Carers - Stanton

Today's (Tuesday) decision by the Government not to publish the National

Carers Strategy has been described as a ‘betrayal' of carers by Fine

Gael Disability Spokesman David Stanton TD.

"Despite repeated promises from various Social & Family Affairs

Ministers to publish a national strategy, and an official commitment in

Towards 2016, this has now been abandoned. This is just another in a

long line of broken Government promises which target the most vulnerable

people in society.

"More than 161,000 people are engaged as full or part-time carers.

Around 51,000 people provide full-time care to an elderly relative or

loved one or a younger person with a disability. Many more people

provide part-time care, including young people who look after a sick

parent. These people do a hard, and often thankless job, and save the

State a fortune in care and support services. It is a disgrace that the

Government is failing to deliver on its commitment for a comprehensive

strategy for these people.

"Many carers and carers' support groups put a huge amount of work into

assisting the Government working group to develop this strategy over the

last year. What I would like to know is: has the strategy even been

completed? If it has, what are the barriers to publishing it so carers

can see that their work is at least being recognised?

"When Towards 2016 was published in June 2006, the National Carers'

Strategy was initially promised by the end of 2007. This was

subsequently postponed to the end of 2008. Now it has been effectively

abandoned. This is just not good enough."

Ends

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