The Labour Party has promised to abolish the means test for carers as one of its five "Commitments for Change" if elected to Government later this year.
Yesterday party leader Pat Rabbitte said that less than 19 per cent of the 150,000 carers registered in Ireland qualify for the carer's allowance, according to figures supplied by the Department of Social Affairs.
"This is because the means test, required for a possible €200 a week, is so severe," Mr Rabbitte said. "Therefore, one of the five commitments that I am promising to deliver in government is to remove the means test." He added: "This means that carers will receive their allowance based on their level of work, rather than factoring in the other jobs they do outside this work or other assets that they own."
He said there were "thousands of people" who have a "job with a mandatory 365-day a year contract".
"They are the carers within our communities who provide unpaid help for a family member or friend with a disability.
"And while nearly half of these carers have no paid employment and one third of them give more than 43 hours of unpaid time per week, less than a fifth receive financial assistance from the State for their invaluable and tireless work." He said the removal of the means test would be a "simple yet effective way of helping carers financially and removing a layer of unnecessary bureaucracy within our system".
"Financial support should be given on the basis of the work that they do in caring, rather than factoring in other elements of their lives. This work is so valuable that it must be recognised in its own right."
The promise on carers is the third of five commitments unveiled by Labour this year.
Last month he announced a commitment to "free pre-school education for one year for children". He also travelled to Templemore, Co Tipperary, where he promised additional gardaí for visible community policing. The two remaining commitments are to be announced by Labour tomorrow at its national conference in Dublin.