I was outlining my reservations on the one hand and my support on the other for the concept of the carer's allowance and the fact that it was restricted in the main to old age pensioners.
I was arguing that there is a huge range of people who will not qualify because the people for whom they are caring are not in the prescribed age bracket. There is also a problem with the definition of full-time care and attention. I argued, and I will not repeat it now, that there are deficiencies in regard to the means testing, which would exclude many people, and also in regard to the qualifications for full-time care and attention.
I want to move on to the third part of my reservation; I referred to this in my Second Stage contribution. Deputy Ferris mentioned the potential savings to the health boards as a result of the carer's allowance and I want to address that question and also the question of the Minister's thinking on the carers' allowance. Although we welcome the introduction of this allowance, there may be an attempt by the health boards in particular to cut back on the services that exist already, for example, the number of public health nurses and so on. We are dealing with people who are in need of full-time care and attention and there might be an attempt by the Department of Health to reduce the number of health board beds to which many of these recipients of care might be entitled. If it were not for the carers these people might be in nursing homes, either private or those run by health boards.
There are many people providing care on a voluntary basis, at tremendous personal cost. The burden seems to fall heavily on the shoulders of single daughters, whose marriage prospects are diminished as a result. They have to make sacrifices because of the pressures on them to stay at home and look after the ailing parent. As these people are now being given an allowance, the health boards might take the view that it is their obligation to look after the ageing member of the family, that they should get on with the job. The carer's allowance should not be seen as a substitute for a proper health service and should not result in a reduction in the number of public health nurses. The allowance of £45 is comparable to the bed subvention for people in nursing homes. That matter is being dealt with in the Health (Nursing Homes) Bill, which is going through the House at present.
I would like the Minister to give me a reassurance that he has not colluded with the Department of Health to cut back the funding to the health boards in the area of care of the elderly as a result of introducing this £45 allowance. There is no one more exploited in the country than the people who in many cases voluntarily sacrifice themselves to care for the elderly. There are other people who would never be prepared to make these sacrifices or do this work on a voluntary basis, notwithstanding the fact that the £45 allowance is available. I am concerned that those people who, for many reasons, whether through lack of time or lack of a sense of commitment, do not care for their aged relatives, may be pressured into taking on board a task which they would not normally have taken on. Pressure should not be put on them by the Department of Social Welfare or the Department of Health to take up this allowance but health board services have been so badly depleted that people will be faced with very little alternative. I would like assurance from the Minister that there is no collusion between the Department of Social Welfare and the health boards or the Department of Health to put undue pressure on these people.