Bernard Allen
Ceist:5 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of persons receiving the carer's allowance on 1 April 1993.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Carer's Allowance.
Peadar Clohessy
Ceist:41 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in view of the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 23 of 4 May 1993 addressed to the Minister for Health, he will give details of the plans, if any, he has to adjust the conditions for eligibility for the carer's allowance in view of the fact that there are only 4,500 carer's eligible for the scheme.
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:72 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he intends to further improve the carer's allowance with particular reference to eligibility-means test guidelines; his view on whether such guidelines are too rigid at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 5, 41 and 72 together.
At the end of March this year there were 4,372 carer's allowances in payment. Further carers will qualify for the allowance from July next following the increase in the payment to equal the long term rate for unemployment assistance.
The allowance which I introduced in November 1990 provided, for the first time, for a direct payment to be made to the carer on a means tested basis. It is directed at people who are providing elderly or incapacitated pensioners with full-time care and attention and whose income falls below certain limits. In July 1991 the allowance was extended to persons providing care for the recipients of disabled person's maintenance allowance from the health boards or the recipients of an equivalent social security payment from another EC country or a country which has a bilateral social security agreement with Ireland.
The question addressed by Deputy Clohessy to my colleague, the Minister for Health, on 4 May last refers to the issue of introducing a change in the means test applying to the carer's allowance. Any relaxation in the means test would have cost implications which could only be considered in the light of available resources and in a budgetary context.
I would like to stress at this point that the fundamental reason for introducing the carer's allowance was to provide a basic income maintenance payment to be made directly to the carer. In this regard it was always the intention that resources be directed at carers on very low incomes.
The Minister's figure of 4,372 shows the level of lip service being given to these people in 1993, European Year of the Elderly. The Minister increased the allowances but retained the barriers against qualification for these allowances. Would the Minister not agree that there is a long overdue need for a comprehensive policy for carers and that an integrated approach should be taken by his Department and the Department of Health in this area so as to provide an incentive to keep long term sick and elderly people out of hospitals, thereby providing——
I have allowed the Deputy some latitude on this matter. The Deputy will observe that his question is clearly a statistical one asking the Minister for Social Welfare the numbers of persons receiving carer's allowance on 1 April 1993.
It relates to——
Sorry, Deputy, if you wish to pursue the matter of policy you must put down another question on that matter.
Does the Minister not agree that the scheme is so restrictive that it allows long term geriatric beds to be taken up——
Dr. Woods rose.
The Deputy is still embarking on policy matters. Let us not forget, Minister, that it is not in order now. I am calling No. 6 please. Deputy Liz O'Donnell's question.
I am not permitted to reply further but I would like to say in relation to the number that the increase in the long term rate of unemployment assistance will bring a considerable extra number of people into the system. The reason more than one-third of those people fail to qualify is that they are on some other social welfare payment.
It has not brought many people into the system yet.
I am calling No. 6.
The amount being paid out is £11.6 million.
The Chair should be obeyed by both sides of the House.