TOM CURRAN, Carer:TOM CURRAN gave up his job almost 11 years ago to care for his wife Marie, who has multiple sclerosis, and is very disappointed with the Budget.
“Obviously we were hoping that the Carer’s and Disability Allowances wouldn’t be touched, the same as the Old Age Pension wasn’t,” says Tom, who lives in Arklow.
Both of these allowances will be cut by €8 per week from January. This means Tom and Marie’s income will fall by 4 per cent next year. “It’s very disappointing as a carer, because we’re the only social welfare recipients that actually work for our social welfare payment,” he says. Carers save the State a huge amount of cash, he adds: “If the State was looking after the people we look after they would be paying an extra 95 per cent [compared to] what they’re paying us in total.”
The couple receive some aid from the HSE’s home help service and fear HSE cuts will ultimately result in this kind of front-line service being cut.