Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
822. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department will look at creating a childhood and adolescent and young-adult cancer-care allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27910/23]
View answerThe 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 key role of my department is to provide income supports where an income need may arise due to unemployment, illness/disability or caring responsibilities. The income supports are for people who cannot earn, or can only earn a limited income, and who have no other means or resources to rely upon.
The main income supports for carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending in 2023 is expected to amount to almost €1.6 billion on these payments.
The payments are made directly to the carer and eligibility is not contingent on a particular disability or illness, the severity of disability or the age of the person being cared for.
Carer’s Allowance is primarily aimed at carers aged 18 or older on low incomes who look after people in need of full-time care and attention. The two principal conditions for receipt of Carer’s Allowance are that full time care and attention is required and being provided, and that the applied means test is satisfied. The application of the means test ensures that the limited resources available can be targeted at those with the greatest income need. The person being cared for (referred to in the legislation as the Relevant Person) must be so incapacitated as to require full-time care and attention and be likely to require this full-time care and attention for at least 12 months.
Non means tested payments are also available to carers, including Carer's Benefit, the Carer's Support Grant and Domiciliary Care Allowance.
The Carer's Benefit payment is an entitlement based on social insurance contributions. It is a weekly payment made to insured people who may be required to leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care. It is payable for a period of 2 years (104 weeks) for each care recipient and may be claimed over separate periods up to a total of 2 years.
The annual Carer’s Support Grant is available to all family carers providing full-time care and assistance, regardless of means. As part of Budget 2021, I increased the Carer’s Support Grant by €150 to its current rate of €1,850. This is the highest rate since its introduction. On 1 June some 141,000 Carer's Support Grants were paid to approximately 126,000 family carers. Estimated expenditure on this Grant in 2023 is over €268.5 million.
Domiciliary Care Allowance is designed as a support for a child aged under 16 with a severe disability, who requires ongoing care and attention, substantially over and above the care and attention usually required by a child of the same age. The payment is not based on the type of disability but is based on the impact of the disability and it is not means tested.
I am satisfied that the current range of supports for carers in place is sufficient and would apply in the circumstances outlined by the Deputy, once both the carer and the care recipient meet the relevant criteria.
I will continue to keep the range of supports provided by this Department under review. However, any changes to the current supports provided - or the introduction of new payments as suggested by the Deputy - would have to be considered in an overall budgetary and policy context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
