The abolition of the means test for the carer's allowance is the main recommendation in an Oireachtas committee report for the Government.
The report containing recommendations on the rights and needs of carers was presented to the Minister for Social and Family Affairs yesterday and will also be submitted to the Ministers for Health and Finance.
The 15 recommendations include the payment of respite care to all carers, a comprehensive system of needs assessment and a significant shift of resources to home care subvention.
At a press conference yesterday, members of the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs urged the Government to implement the recommendations within a realistic timescale.
The committee chairman, Mr Willie Penrose, said some of the recommendations could be brought into effect through the next Budget but the main proposals, including the abolition of the means test, could be enforced during the life of the Government.
"Carers have not benefited from the boom years and they save the State millions each year by caring for loved ones at home," Mr Penrose said. "By implementing these proposals, carers will get the support they rightly deserve."
The abolition of the means test, to be replaced by carers having access to care services and payments as a right, would cost about €150 million. However, the report pointed out that the shift towards community care would divert government resources from institutional to home care, Mr Penrose said.
"A wealthy country like Ireland has little excuse for failing to provide adequate support for carers and for those being cared for," the report said.