Mayo carers must not be left in the cold, says Cllr Barrett

Independent councillor Harry Barrett has called on Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary to give full-rate carers automatic access to Fuel Allowance.

He wants the change to apply where nobody else in the household receives the payment.

Cllr Barrett cited Census 2022 figures showing more than 9,400 unpaid carers in Mayo, the highest proportion in the country.

Some 2,702 of them provide at least 43 hours of care every week.

"That isn't somebody helping out for an hour or two.

It is the equivalent of a full working week, and very often far more," he said.

"Many carers are at home for long periods looking after somebody who is elderly, ill or living with a disability.

The heating has to stay on longer and the electricity bills keep coming."

Carer's Allowance is a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance. However, carers must still go through a separate assessment.

Recipients of the Working Family Payment, by contrast, receive Fuel Allowance automatically, without a separate application.

"If the Department can make the process straightforward for one group, it can do the same for full-rate carers," said Cllr Barrett.

"I am not asking for two Fuel Allowance payments in one house. Where nobody else in the household receives it, the carer should get it automatically.

"Mayo's carers are doing extraordinary work quietly, day after day. Tuesday's Budget is a chance for Minister Calleary to give them real help with the cost of keeping their homes warm in the middle of an energy crisis that has driven a full tank of kerosene to nearly €1,600."

He has also asked the Minister to publish how many Carer's Allowance recipients in Mayo currently receive Fuel Allowance.