Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
1059. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on a submission (details supplied); if her Department can support this submission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39162/23]
View answerAt the outset I would like to state that I am familiar with the submission forwarded by the Deputy. I have met with the founders of the organisation concerned and heard first-hand their personal story. I am aware of the very valuable work they are carrying out in terms of easing the financial burden of families with children who have life limiting conditions. Many of the costs incurred by these families include travel, accommodation, petrol, subsistence due to the necessity to attend healthcare and medical settings with their children, e.g. hospitals.
As the Deputy is aware, the key role of the Department of Social Protection is to provide income supports where an income need may arise due to unemployment, illness/disability and caring responsibilities. The payments provided support people who cannot earn an income, or can only earn a limited income, and who have no other means or resources to rely upon. In this regard my department supports family carers directly and not through the mechanism of onward funding through a third party.
The main income supports to 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 Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers. It is a means tested social assistance payment awarded to those carers who are caring for certain people who require full-time care and attention. The objective of the payment is to provide an income support to carers whose earning capacity is substantially reduced as a consequence of their caring responsibilities and in so doing to support the ongoing care of the person in respect of whom care is being provided. As of July, there were 94,100 recipients of Carer's Allowance.
As part of Budget 2022, I introduced measures which allowed carers to have a higher weekly household income and a higher level of savings, and still qualify for a Carer's Allowance payment. Many carers who did not qualify for a payment due to means were able to access the Carer's Allowance system for the first time. These were the first changes to the means test in 14 years:
• The capital and savings disregard for the Carer’s Allowance means assessment was increased from €20,000 to €50,000, aligning it with that which applies for Disability Allowance.
• For carers who work, the weekly income disregard was increased from €332.50 to €350 for a single person, and from €665 to €750 for carers with a spouse/partner.
• The Carers Benefit payment is an entitlement based on social insurance contributions. Carer’s Benefit is a non-means tested 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 (104 weeks). As of July, there were 3,857 recipients of Carer's Benefit.
• The non-means tested 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. Other carers not in receipt of a carer’s payment may also be eligible for the Grant. The objective of the Carer’s Support Grant is to support carers in their caring role and carers may use the grant in a manner that is appropriate to their needs. 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. As part of Budget Measures 2021, the rate of the grant was increased by €150. The new rate of €1,850 is the highest rate of the grant since its introduction. There are currently 128,375 carers in receipt of the Grant in respect of some 144,930 care recipients.
• Domiciliary Care Allowance is a non-means tested monthly payment to a parent /guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability and requires continual or continuous care and attention substantially over and above the care and attention usually required by a child of the same age. As of July, Domiciliary Care Allowance was being paid to some 52,378 families in respect of 58,780 children.
In acknowledging the financial burden families of sick children face I have made significant changes to the Domiciliary Care Allowance payment over the last two years:-
• As part of Budget 2022, the period during which Domiciliary Care Allowance can be paid for children in hospital was extended from 3 months to 6 months.
• As part of Budget 2023 and with effect from January, Domiciliary Care Allowance is available for babies who remain in an acute hospital after birth for a period of 6 months. During both these extended periods of eligibility and where other conditions are met, a carer may also receive Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit and the Carer's Support Grant
• The monthly payment was increased by €21 to its current rate of €330.00.
It is also worth noting that under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, the Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This could include payment for costs such as travel and necessary temporary accommodation while attending hospital appointments. These payments are administered by the Community Welfare Service of the Department and are payable at the discretion of the CWS officer taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case.
I acknowledge that the work of the organisation concerned is beneficial and important to many families across the country, however it is not part of the remit of my department to provide income supports to family carers in this manner.
I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to keep the range of supports provided directly to family carers under review to ensure they meet their stated objectives. However, any further changes, would have to be considered in an overall budgetary and policy context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
