Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2023
393. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection whether there are circumstances in which domiciliary care allowance or carer's benefit would be paid to the parent of an infant who is a long-term inpatient in a hospital when the hospital requires that the parent be part of their care and present in the hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52488/23]
View answerMy department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on these payments to carers in 2023 is estimated at almost €1.6 billion.
Carer's Benefit is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce to care for someone in need of full-time care and attention. Carer’s Benefit is payable for a maximum period of 104 weeks for each person being cared for. It can be taken in one block or in separate periods as long as the combined total does not exceed 104 weeks.
Carer’s Benefit can continue to be paid on a short-term basis and the carer continues to be regarded as providing full-time care and attention, if they or the person being cared for, is having medical or other treatment in a hospital or other institution for a period not longer than 13 weeks. This provision is to ensure that the carer can continue to be paid when they themselves require medical treatment that requires them to spend some time in hospital, or when the person they are caring for requires medical care or respite on a short-term basis.
Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment to a parent or guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability and require care and attention substantially over and above that usually needed by a child of the same age. The payment is not means-tested. There is no restriction on the number of children for whom a person may claim the payment. In other words, where a person is caring for more than 1 child who qualifies for Domiciliary Care Allowance, they may claim the monthly allowance for each.
At the end of October, some 53,180 customers were in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance in respect of 59,586 children. Expenditure in 2023 is estimated at almost €247 million.
To qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance, the child must live at home with the person claiming the allowance for five or more days per week. If the child is in residential care but is at home for two days or more per week, a half rate allowance is payable. These criteria are set out in the legislative provisions for the scheme.
Parents or guardians in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance are eligible for an annual Carers Support Grant (€1,850) and, subject to satisfying a means test or having sufficient PRSI contributions, may also be eligible for Carer’s Allowance or Carer's Benefit.
To address the particular issue raised by the Deputy, in acknowledging the financial burden families of sick children face, the Government has 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.
It is also worth noting that from January 2023, the rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance increased from €309.50 to €330 per month and will be further increased to €340 from January 2024.
These combined measures aim to go some way to ensure that parents are supported at what is a very difficult time when a child is in hospital for a prolonged period of time.
I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
