Departmental Data

Tuesday, 14 May 2024

Questions (417)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

417. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection for a breakdown, by county, of the number of times persons in receipt of carer's allowance had their allowance stopped in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2024. [21678/24]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that, as a result, they require that level of care.

In order to qualify, applicants must show that they are habitually resident in the State, that their means are less than the statutory limit, that they are providing full-time care and attention, and that the person being cared for requires that level of care.

Please see table below for a breakdown, by county, of the number of times persons in receipt of CA had their allowance stopped in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2024.

County	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024 (to April 2024)
Carlow	90	95	101	94	101	91	107	100	102	147	148	55
Cavan	87	93	77	105	99	116	83	98	118	133	126	42
Clare	164	126	147	140	160	143	186	160	173	195	205	65
Cork	645	625	695	654	698	670	743	686	734	858	916	358
Donegal	267	280	281	288	300	275	290	283	314	310	401	122
Dublin	1036	1048	1233	1137	1196	1183	1350	1242	1356	1632	1755	759
Galway	322	292	343	300	366	316	371	343	355	403	421	170
Kerry	237	203	237	221	212	215	209	237	270	283	315	124
Kildare	208	199	186	196	219	185	222	214	267	316	285	130
Kilkenny	97	94	107	128	110	102	119	124	115	158	155	44
Laois	108	87	92	117	104	109	121	113	129	155	154	61
Leitrim	59	53	66	81	75	62	64	51	62	80	76	28
Limerick	283	271	304	281	328	318	318	286	358	382	394	160
Longford	89	83	88	86	92	89	89	91	99	112	104	58
Louth	128	144	165	152	187	188	173	187	218	244	238	103
Mayo	216	204	216	228	244	210	223	223	222	242	266	105
Meath	166	164	188	159	185	180	208	208	206	273	287	104
Monaghan	80	74	76	57	81	77	69	75	76	96	87	40
Offaly	118	105	151	115	135	139	133	140	168	164	176	87
Roscommon	97	78	95	129	121	103	134	100	121	125	137	60
Sligo	91	82	100	110	115	116	103	105	104	128	128	51
Tipperary	257	239	249	283	231	268	310	244	280	373	382	142
Waterford	141	146	172	156	135	159	183	169	162	184	245	95
Westmeath	121	122	128	133	153	129	131	126	176	188	204	84
Wexford	240	184	268	227	261	247	278	241	287	342	345	141
Wicklow	136	125	143	139	163	140	150	154	194	194	230	98
Total	5,483	5,216	5,908	5,716	6,071	5,830	6,367	6,000	6,666	7,717	8,180	3,286

A payment for CA may stop if a customer no longer meets the eligibility criteria for the scheme. This may follow a notification from the customer or be the result of a review of eligibility initiated by my Department.

The following are examples of some of the reasons that would result in a CA payment being stopped:

• The person requiring care has been admitted to a Nursing Home / Hospital

• The carer is no longer providing full time care

• The carer has returned to work in excess of 18.5 hours per week

• The carer failed to supply the required information to establish continued entitlement to CA

• The carer or the care recipient is deceased

• The means of the carer are in excess of the statutory limit

• The carer is no longer resident in the state

• The care recipient no longer meets the medical criteria

I hope this information is of assistance.