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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 11 Apr 2000

Vol. 517 No. 6

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Ivor Callely

Question:

313 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the tota paid out in supplementary welfare allowance payments to people waiting determination on a claim from another Government Department in each of the years from 1995 to 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10417/00]

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the health boards. Under the SWA scheme, health boards can provide a basic weekly payment to eligible people who have little or no income. An assessment of a person's means and needs is carried out and where there is a shortfall in a person's income a payment may be made to bring that person's income up to the appropriate supplementary welfare allowance rate.

Payments are made where a person has no means to meet their immediate needs pending payment from another source, for example, where they are awaiting determination of an application for a social welfare or a health board payment.

Details of interim SWA payments made while awaiting a payment from my Department for the years 1995 to 1999 are included in the following tabular statement.

Year

Expenditure

1995

17,099,768

1996

21,446,478

1997

28,852,890

1998

33,159,022

1999

41,908,108

Ivor Callely

Question:

314 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the issues of concern brought to his attention which are creating difficulties for carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10418/00]

The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to carers on low incomes who look after people who need full time care and attention. At the end of March 2000, there were 14,981 carer's allowances in payment. This represents an increase of more than 60% in the number of carers claiming the allowance since this Government took office. Expenditure on carer's allowance was £36.5 million in 1997 and is projected to be £78.3 million this year, representing an increase of 115% since this Government took office.

As part of the Government's commitment to carers, as set out in An Action Programme for the Millennium, an overall review of the carer's allowance was completed by an interdepartmental committee, chaired by my Department, and was launched by me in October 1998. The submissions and proposals of all organisations representing carers were considered as part of the review process and are comprehensively addressed in the report. In addition, both I and my officials have met with various organisations representing carers on a number of occasions and I am aware of their views, concerns and priorities in relation to carers. The major issues raised by these groups are the removal or easing of the carer's allowance means test and recognition of carers.

As with all other social assistance schemes, a means test in which the income of both the applicant and his/her partner is assessable is applied to the carer's allowance to ensure that limited resources are directed to those in greatest need. The means test has been eased significantly in the past few years, most notably with the introduction of disregards of the income from employment and other sources. In line with budget 1999 changes which came into effect last August, the first £150 of joint weekly income for married carers is not taken into account in the means test. In the case of single carers, the first £75 of weekly income is disregarded. I should add that the means disregard for carer's allowance is the most generous in the social welfare system.
The review of the carer's allowance noted that the carer's allowance is an income support payment and not a payment for caring. The review also noted that the means test applied to the carer's allowance is one of the more generous tests in terms of the assessment of household income. It considered that the means test should be maintained as a way of targeting public resources towards those who are most in need. The position and operation of the test will be kept under review.
While the review did not recommend the abolition of the means test, it did propose the introduction of a continual care payment in certain circumstances in recognition of those carers who are providing the highest levels of care and to promote care in the community. The review envisaged that the payment would be available to carers who provide care to those who are in the highest category of dependency and would be paid irrespective of income or social welfare entitlement.
In order to differentiate between the levels of care and care needs, the review considered that a needs assessment encompassing both the needs of the care recipient and the carer should be introduced, and that the continual care payment could be introduced following the introduction of such an assessment. It was considered that a needs assessment would separate care needs from income support needs and could be used by all State organisations which provide reliefs or grants to those in need of care.
A working group, chaired by the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Moffatt, and comprising membership from my Department, the health boards and voluntary groups has been set up to examine the feasibility of introducing such a needs assessment approach. I understand that the Western Health Board has agreed to undertake a pilot project in that area and that needs assessments will be commencing in the near future. The introduction of a continual care payment will be examined further following the outcome of this pilot.
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