Budget 2027 'must finally deliver real reform for family carers' – Offaly TD

Carol Nolan, Independent TD for Offaly, has said that government must put 'meaningful and overdue reform' of Carers supports at the centre of Budget 2027.

Deputy Nolan was speaking after attending a recent Family Carers Ireland’s (FCI) meeting in Tullamore.

She said the contributions from carers and FCI leadership were “deeply moving and impossible for government to ignore any longer,” particularly in light of the growing pressures on carers across Offaly and the wider region.

Deputy Nolan said carers have made it absolutely clear that they are exhausted, financially stretched, and being asked to carry out highly complex 24/7 care with no guarantee of respite, no universal supports, and a system that continues to penalise them through outdated rules and means tests.

The Offaly TD said the meeting reinforced several priorities she has been raising consistently in the Dáil, including the abolition of the Carer’s Allowance means test, an increase in weekly carer payments to €325, and a higher Carer’s Support Grant.

Deputy Nolan also highlighted the unfair treatment of pensioner carers who are restricted to a half-rate Carer’s Allowance despite providing full-time care.

She said the fact that carers save the health service billions annually only underscores the injustice of insisting that all applicants remain subject to a rigorous means test.

Deputy Nolan said the testimonies heard at the meeting in Tullamore echo national findings from Family Carers Ireland, including that almost three-quarters of carers has never received respite and that half must pay privately for essential supports.

She said this is a systemic failure that has gone on for far too long.

“Carers deserve respect, certainty, and a system that recognises the reality of their lives. I will be bringing the clear and united message from the meeting directly into the Budget 2027 process,” concluded Deputy Nolan.