What chance have people with disabilities got ? What chance have carers got ? Living with a disability or caring for someone with a disability is a 24/7- 365 days a year job.
With inflation running at 8% and a cost of living emergency resulting in people having to choose between heat or eating the Government need to step forward urgently with supports for people with disabilities and their carers .
Don’t Leave them Behind outline our submission Government which demand a significant increase in allowances to people with disabilities and carers .
Carers save the Irish Government €6 Billion a years they support and care for their loved ones each and every day During COVID the State abandoned them completely withdrawing day care services and forcing people with disabilities and carers to isolate for over 19 months .Indeed the State still have not returned day care services with many people receiving just 2 to 4 hours a week.
During the pandemic the Government set €350 per week s the minimum require to live and support a person This €350 figure is the correct figure required for any person living and supporting a family and who cannot work either as a result of a pandemic ,or having a disability ,or caring for someone with a disability .The Benchmark is now set by the State itself and it is time for this State to step up and increase the carers allowance and disability allowance to this figure so that they can heat and eat in circumstances that have made it impossible to do so due to major rises across the board in all products and services.
Carers are saving the State €6 Billion a year and fairness requires that the people saving the State such a huge amount must be paid a wage to acknowledges this work .
Furthermore ,the State must remove means testing for both people with disabilities and for carers along with preventing Government Departments and the HSE requesting that people with disabilities prove that their disability some how may have disappeared .
Don’t Leave them Behind in making this submission are inviting all politicians to support these basic rights at this time of huge rises across the board.