The Minister for Transport Shane Ross has defended the Independent Alliance recent proposals that could see grandparents claim a €1,000 grant each year.
Speaking to RTÉ, Mr Ross who supports the proposed scheme said that the state should support grandparents who look after their grandchildren on regular basis.
The Transport Minister also dismissed claims that the idea was an attempt to secure the elderly vote, by saying grandparents are making a great sacrifice and they should be looked after by the state.
Mr Ross’s comments come after a number of opposition TD’s criticised the proposals with many labeling the idea unrealistic given that no background information was provided in how much the overall grant would cost the state.
However Mr Ross claimed the idea is serious and even though the grant would not be policed, it would be uniquely assessed.
If passed the new grant could potentially cost hundreds of millions of euro to the state as proposals could see all four grandparents claim the grant if they look after their grandchildren for more than 10 hours per week.