I am familiar with the documentation forwarded by the Deputy. I have met with the founders of the organisation concerned and heard first-hand their personal story. I am aware of the very valuable work they carry out in terms of easing the financial burden of families with children who have life limiting conditions. Many of the costs incurred by these families include travel, accommodation, petrol, subsistence due to the necessity to attend healthcare and medical settings with their children, e.g., hospitals.
As the Deputy is aware, the key role of the Department of Social Protection is to provide income supports where an income need may arise due to unemployment, illness/disability and caring responsibilities. The payments provided support people who cannot earn an income, or can only earn a limited income, and who have no other means or resources to rely upon. In this regard my department supports family carers directly and not through the mechanism of onward funding through a third party.
The main income supports to carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending in 2023 is expected to amount to almost €1.6 billion on these payments.
Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers. It is a means tested social assistance payment awarded to those who are caring for certain people who require full-time care and attention. The objective of the payment is to provide an income support to carers whose earning capacity is substantially reduced as a consequence of their caring responsibilities and in so doing to support the ongoing care of the person in respect of whom care is being provided. There are currently 94,358 recipients of Carer's Allowance.
My department also provides a range of non-means tested payments to support family carers, these include Carers Benefit, the Carer's Support Grant and Domiciliary Care Allowance.
In acknowledging the financial burden families of sick children face, I have made significant changes to the Domiciliary Care Allowance payment over the last two years:
- As part of Budget 2022, the period during which Domiciliary Care Allowance can be paid for children in hospital was extended from 3 months to 6 months.
- As part of Budget 2023 and with effect from January, Domiciliary Care Allowance is available for babies who remain in an acute hospital after birth for a period of 6 months. During both these extended periods of eligibility and where other conditions are met, a carer may also receive Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit and the Carer's Support Grant.
It is also worth noting that under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, the Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This could include payment for costs such as travel and necessary temporary accommodation while attending hospital appointments. These payments are administered by the Community Welfare Service of the Department and are payable at the discretion of the CWS officer considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case.
I acknowledge that the work of the organisation concerned is beneficial and important to many families across the country; however it is not part of the remit of my department to provide supports to family carers in this manner.
I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to keep the range of supports provided directly to family carers under review to ensure they meet their stated objectives. However, any further changes, would have to be considered in an overall budgetary and policy context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
