5 hours Ago
SIMON HARRIS HAS faced backlash after he walked away from a woman mid-conversation who claimed that he had “done nothing” for carers while in government. The Taoiseach was canvassing in Kanturk in north west Cork yesterday when he was stopped by a woman who identified herself as a carer. In the interaction, , she said of the Budget: “We’ve fought for our money .
.. but we are ignored.
” Harris responded: “No, no, not at all.” “Yes, we were.” “No, you weren’t.
” The woman proceeded to talk about support for people with disabilities. She said the sector is “a joke”. “You have done nothing for us.
Our people are suffering. “I’m very passionate about my job.” Harris said he too is very passionate about disability.
The woman responded: “But there’s no mention in the Budget whatsoever.” Harris then repeatedly said “that’s not true”, before shaking the woman’s hand and walking away. In Budget 2025, the carer’s allowance was increased by €12.
They will also get the €400 “cost of living” lump sum. While Family Carers Ireland, a representative group for carers, welcomed the measures, they said they “fall short of ensuring a fair and adequate income for those providing care at home”. The group also said that, given the extra costs incurred by caring hosueholds – an average of €244 per week – more needs to be done.
The video of Harris’s campaign trail interaction has been shared widely on social media, and it’s been described as “uncomfortable to watch” and a “car crash in slow motion”. Disability non-profit Access For All said of Harris: “We never directly attack individuals but this flippancy has really upset us. They said that carers “don’t seem to matter much” to the government.
Harris has been accused of not caring about people with disabilties and their carers, with some people calling his response “shameful” and “dismissive”. One X user, a carer, said: “You could hear the pain in her voice and he just didn’t want to listen. That’s the problem, [he] will only really listen when someone is giving him a positive comment, he doesn’t want to hear it when you’ve issues you want addressed.
I hope she’s doing ok and fair play.” Another user said: “@SimonHarrisTD Why can’t you just listen and not interrupt? Show some humility instead of this excessive, constant hubris.”.
