Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1300. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of allowing all those in receipt of the carers respite care grant but not currently in receipt of a carer’s allowance or benefit payment to be paid the carer’s allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41667/22]
View answerMy Department provides a comprehensive package of income supports for carers including the Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on these payments to carers in 2022 is estimated to exceed €1.5 billion.
Carer’s Allowance is a payment to people on low incomes who are caring full-time for a person who needs support because of age, disability or illness. The two principal conditions for receipt of Carer’s Allowance are that full time care and attention is required and is being provided, and that the means test is satisfied.
The conditions attached to payment of Carer’s Allowance are consistent with the overall conditions that apply to social assistance payments generally and which are based on an income need. The means test plays the critical role in determining whether or not an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency - be that illness, disability, unemployment or caring. At the end of June, there were 90,740 people in receipt of Carer's Allowance. The projected expenditure on Carer’s Allowance in 2022 is approximately €990 million.
The Carer's Support Grant is automatically paid to people in receipt of Carer's Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and Domiciliary Care allowance in June of each year. The cohort of carers to which the Deputy refers are other carers not in receipt of a carer’s payment but who may also be eligible for a standalone Grant if they meet the qualifying full-time care and attention condition. Budget 2021 increased the rate of the grant by €150 bringing it to its current rate of €1,850. This is the highest rate of the grant since its introduction. The projected expenditure on the Carer’s Support Grant in 2022 is approximately €262.4 million. A person can apply for a Carer's Support Grant for any given year from April of that year until 31 December of the following year. Therefore a person can apply for the Carer's Support Grant for 2022 at any time from April 2022 up until 31 December 2023.
This year, there were a total of 5,679 standalone Carer's Support Grants awarded by end of June in respect of 5,835 carer recipients. Based on this number, it is estimated that the provision of Carer’s Allowance to this group could cost in the order of an additional €66 million per annum. This figure is based on the maximum weekly under 66 rate for Carer’s Allowance and does not include the higher rates available to those caring for more than one person or the potential extra cost of increases for child dependants. It also assumes that all such recipients would qualify for this means tested payment.
I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to keep the range of income supports provided to family carers by this Department under review so as to ensure that the overall objectives of the carer income support schemes provided are met. However, any changes to the current supports provided as suggested would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
