A Clare carer says she’s lost faith in the State to support those who look after the most vulnerable in society.
As the dust settles on the final leaders’ debate of the General Election campaign, various parties’ plans to address the cost-of-living are once again coming under scrutiny.
Speaking in the final week of the 1980 US presidential campaign, Republican nominee Ronald Reagan famously asked the public “are you better or worse off than you were four years ago?”.
It’s a question voters here are asking themselves as they prepare to head to polling stations on Friday and weigh up which party will look after their financial interests best.
Sinn Féin plans to abolish the Universal Social Charge for the first €45,000 of income, to raise the point at which people pay the 20% standard rate of tax to €4,000 and to introduce a “solidarity tax” of 3% for those who earn over €140,000.
Chair of the Clare Older People’s Council Maurice Harvey believes the latter measure would be unpopular amongst high-income earners and could have negative consequences for wider society.
With over a million people in Ireland living with a long-term disability and roughly 12,000 children awaiting assessments of needs, disability has been one of the most discussed topics of the election campaign.
The Labour Party’s manifesto outlines its pledge to advocate for independent living for people with disabilities while the Social Democrats have said that if in Government, establishing a designated Department of Disability would be a red line issue.
Clare disability activist Ann Marie Flanagan insists the State’s approach to disability rights in the past has been nothing short of ableist and paternalistic.
Following Taoiseach Simon Harris’s highly-publicised interaction with a Section 39 worker in Kanturk at the weekend, carers across the country have been especially vocal on their desire for pay parity.
Currently, those who work in the community and voluntary sector, who are known as Section 39 workers, don’t earn the same as HSE workers who do the same work.
Talks have been held between the Government and unions in the Workplace Relations Commission to address this matter but no resolution has yet been reached.
Crusheen-based mother Deborah Kett, whose daughter Hannah has Cystic Fibrosis, doesn’t think any Government will ever give carers the supports they need.
You can listen to the full interview here:
