Vol. 577 No. 5
213 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the means test for the carer's allowance contains no extra allowance for a parent who is caring for three children who all need constant care; and if she will introduce a change to the means test along the lines applied in the higher education grant which would raise the income disregard in cases in which there is more than one person cared for. [31704/03]
The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to people on low incomes who look after those in need of full-time care and attention. As with all other social assistance schemes, a means test, in which the income of both the carer and his-her partner is assessable, is applied to the carer's income. This ensures resources are directed to those in greatest need.
Provision has been made in successive budgets for substantial increases in the income disregards. From next April, the weekly income disregards will increase to €250 for a single carer and to €500 for a couple. The effect of this increase is that a couple with three children, earning a joint income of up to €29,458 can qualify for the maximum rate of carer's allowance. The same couple, if they had an income of €47,400 could still qualify for a reduced rate of carer's allowance, free travel, household benefits and the respite care grant.
In addition, where the income being assessed is earned by the carer's spouse the following amounts are deducted from the carer's income: €2.54 per week in respect of each child maintained by the couple; and amounts paid in respect of PRSI, union dues and travel expenses. Carers of more than one incapacitated person are entitled to an additional 50% of their rate of payment. This is an acknowledgement of the particular difficulties, both financial and personal, which are faced by these carers. These recipients also receive a double respite care grant in June each year. Budget 2004 made provision for an increase of €200 in this amount to €1,670 from June 2004.
The Deputy's proposal to change the carer's allowance means test along the lines of the higher education grants means test is one of a range of proposals which are made from time to time. All these proposals would involve additional expenditure and could only be considered in a budgetary context.
214 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the different rules of entitlement which apply to widows who have contributory pension compared to those with non-contributory pension in respect of retained payment if they take up work; and if she will consider exempting non-contributory widow's pension from means test entirely provided earned income does not exceed a threshold of, for example, ?317.50. [31705/03]
The widow-er's contributory pension is available to all widows and widowers who can satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions based on their own or their late spouse's contribution record.
In common with other payments based on social insurance contributions, the pension is not means tested and is therefore not affected by other income such as earnings which a widow-er might have.
A widow or widower who does not qualify for a contributory pension and who does not have dependent children may receive a widow-er's non-contributory pension. Those with dependent children may qualify for the one-parent family payment, OFP, which includes income disregards to recognise the additional costs and difficulties that lone parents with young children may face in participating in training and employment. Changes in the arrangements regarding widow-er's pension would have financial implications and would only be considered in a budgetary context.
215 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a pensions officer can call to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo to review their employment history. [31730/03]
The person concerned applied for retirement pension on 31 October 2002. He fails to qualify for pension as he has less than 260 full rate contributions paid. Following review, his case has been referred to a local officer for investigation of his employment history. On receipt of the local officer's report, his claim will be passed to a deciding officer for examination and he will be notified of the position. The person concerned has qualified for non-contributory old age pension at the rate of €239.20, including fuel allowance, with effect from 26 December 2003.
