They have been kinder to carers but key services such as speech therapy are still being overlooked

HELEN Maher is a full-time carer of her nine-year- old son Alex, who has autism and learning disabilities. She has an annual income of €45,000 and lives in Carlow with her partner, who works in the insurance industry.

They have an estimated household spend of €3,000 a month, including €1,600 for the mortgage, €200 for energy costs, €600 for groceries and €200 for petrol. Helen receives €100 carer’s allowance per week.

She welcomed the restoration of the Carer’s Respite Grant from €1,375 to its pre2012 level of €1,700.

However she said healthcare support is still severely lacking for people in her position. Alex has been waiting for more than three years for an appointment with an occupational therapist. ‘It’s the most positive Budget for us in years but still you’d be counting the pennies. They were kinder to carers than in other budgets but there’s a lot more needed,’ she said. ‘It’s great that they are restoring the respite grant and it will make a big difference to virtually all carers that I know. It’s something that we’ve been fighting for. It can make the world of difference for a lot of carers. A lot of people have to use money like that to pay privately for therapies and things like that.

‘It costs about €250 per day to have a professional come in to care for a person full time and with the respite cut you were down to about two days to have a carer come in. It’s not a break so even this €300 increase will make a difference but a lot of people will still need to use it for bills and other costs because every child is different and has different needs.’

Ms Maher also welcomed the increase in the Christmas bonus which will put an extra €75 in her pocket.

The increase in the carer tax credit from €810 to €1,000 per year will also see the taxman take €190 less from her family next year. USC cuts will help Helen’s partner’s take-home pay increase by €200 next year.

For Helen, the pressing need that wasn’t addressed in the Budget is improved healthcare services for her son Alex. ‘He can’t butter a slice of bread. He’s nine now and he can’t cycle a bike. There are a lot of issues he needs help with – from getting dressed to the most basic daily needs,’ she said. ‘Occupational therapy is essential for him as well as speech therapy so I am not too happy that they are not concentrating on services. He’s been waiting for an appointment for nearly three years.’

Overall, she expects to be €790 better off per year after the Budget.