Thomas Gould
Question:65. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to acknowledge the significant burden on carers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. [48660/21]
View answerThursday, 7 October 2021
Questions (65)
Written answers
The Government acknowledges the important role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. The main income supports provided by my Department include Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, and the Carer's Support Grant. Over 135,000 carers benefit from regular income supports and spending on these payments in 2021 is expected to be in the region of €1.5 billion. The value of income transfers to family carers has increased by over 50% since 2015.Despite the substantial extra financial demands due to the Covid-19 crisis, I announced that the Carer’s Support Grant would be increased by €150 to a rate of €1,850 in June of this year. This is the highest rate since its introduction.
The annual grant is available to all carers providing full-time care to an older person or a person with a disability, regardless of their means or social insurance contributions. The grant can be used for any purpose at the discretion of the carer and it is not taxed. Recipients of Carer's Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and Domiciliary Care Allowance receive the grant automatically. Other people who are not in receipt of a social welfare payment but who are providing full time care and attention to someone who requires that level of care are also eligible and can apply for a grant.At the start of August, some 132,224 grants had been paid to 118,614 people. Some 12,000 carers who are providing care for two or more people received a grant in respect of each person they are caring for. The grant is paid in respect of each person being cared for to take account of the additional cost of providing care and to recognise the particular challenges faced by these carers. I can assure the Deputy that I am very aware of the key role carers play in society and the particular challenges they have faced in light of Covid-19 and I will continue to keep the range of supports available to carers under review. Any improvements or additions to these supports can only be considered in a budgetary context and in the light of available financial resources. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.