Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 June 2018
239. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the ring-fencing of carer's allowance will be considered for families of children with rare neurogenic conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27171/18]
View answerCarer’s allowance (CA) is a means tested income support paid to people who are providing full-time care and attention to a person requiring such support. The type of illness or the medical condition does not determine whether the person meets the care conditionality
The person receiving care is regarded as requiring full-time care and attention where:
- He or she is so incapacitated as to require continuous supervision in order to avoid danger to him or her/self, or continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily functions, and
- he or she is so incapacitated as to be likely to require full-time care and attention for a period of at least 12 months.
Also the means test for CA is the most generous in the social protection suite of income supports. The means test applies disregards of €332.50 of weekly income for a single/legally separated person and €665.00 of weekly income for a carer who is married, in a civil partnership or co-habiting. This disregard applies to any means that a carer may have i.e. earnings, savings, property, and in the case of weekly earnings from employment the disregard is applied after PRSI, superannuation and union contributions are deducted from the gross weekly income (in line with the disregards provided for all other social assistance schemes). For a couple, the combined gross weekly means is then halved to give the carer's weekly means.
A carer whose partner is on the average weekly wage and has annual earnings of €38,199 may therefore retain the full rate of €214.
The main benefits of the payment and its current structure are that it can provide flexible support in many varied circumstances in its current form and therefore I do not consider it appropriate or necessary to change the scheme for specific conditions.
I hope this answer addresses the Deputy’s question.
