Good Friday Committee considers cross border supports for carers

3 July 2014

The Committee pledged to make representations to the Minister for Health and during next week’s visit to the North South Ministerial Council Secretariat to ensure that the voices of carers would be accommodated in cross-border dialogue related to healthcare.

Representatives from the Carers’ Cross-border Consortium, which includes carers’ organisations on both sides of the border, were addressing the Committee. The Consortium came together in recognition that the increasing challenges facing family carers on both parts of the island are similar.

 Chairman of the Committee Joe McHugh TD says: “This morning’s meeting with the Carer’s Cross-border Consortium was valuable opportunity to assess how cooperation in this area may be enhanced. We recognise that benefits will accrue from pooling expertise, resources and exchanging good practice to achieve achieve a better life for family carers on the island of Ireland.

“The Consortium relayed particular concern to the Committee about the lack of opportunities for carers to feed into policy on healthcare, particularly given the indispensable role they play in healthcare provision in both jurisdictions. Cooperation And Working Together (CAWT), a partnership between the health services north and south of the border, was cited as a forum in which carers might play a meaningful and constructive role and the Committee agreed to pursue with CAWT the Consortium's inclusion in discussions on policy formation. With a Committee delegation visiting Armagh City next week, the concerns raised by the Consortium will also be considered in our discussions with officials from the North South Ministerial Council Secretariat.”

Ends

View Committee Membership.

For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie