Archives for June 2016

Government has today confirmed that the introduction of pay-by-weight charges for waste, which were due to come into effect on July 1st, has been deferred for twelve months. The deferral follows agreement between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the Irish Waste Management Association, whose members are responsible for about three-quarters of waste collection nationwide.

Significantly for carers, in addition to the twelve month deferral of pay-by-weight charges, there was a commitment to disregard additional weight due to non-infant incontinence wear.

In a statement, the IWMA said its members have agreed to “provide a weight allowance to HSE patients supplied with incontinence wear to reduce their annual waste charges.” The statement continued: “IWMA members are committed to an arrangement whereby the additional weight attributed to non-infancy incontinence wear will be collected free of charge.”

It remains to be seen whether a similar commitment will follow from companies who are not members of the IWMA. As reported by RTE, non-members of the Association include some major service providers in Dublin such as Greyhound and City Bin.

You can check if your waste company is a member of IWMA here http://iwma.ie/about-us/list-of-iwma-members/

The commitment from the IWMA follows significant lobbying from Family Carers Ireland on this important issue and productive talks with representatives from the Dept. of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the IWMA.

National Carers Week 2016 launches on Monday, June 13th and runs until Sunday, June 19th. In its tenth year, Carers Week will feature events and activities for carers all around the country. For details of what’s on in your area, visit the official Carers Week website, or check out Carers Week on Facebook.

The Department of Education and Skills recently invited submissions from interested groups on their Statement of Strategy 2016 – 2018. Family Carers Ireland’s submission focuses on young carers and young adult carers within the education system. Recent research undertaken by NUIG found that as many as 11.5 percent of the young people they spoke to said they provide regular, unpaid personal help for a family member with a long-term illness, health problem or disability. Comparisons with census data from the UK also suggest the number of young carers in Ireland is likely underestimated. The National Youth Strategy included reference to young carers, but, disappointingly the recently published Programme for Government made no mention of this group.

The submission also highlights actions within the National Carers’ Strategy for which the Department of Education and Skills has responsibility, and addresses difficulties faced by children with disabilities.

The submission can be read in full here.