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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 29 Apr 1998

Vol. 490 No. 3

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Ivor Callely

Ceist:

71 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the likely public savings in hospital and nursing home care that would arise if the carer's allowance scheme was to be extended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10219/98]

Ivor Callely

Ceist:

72 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on whether an innovative expansion of the carer's allowance scheme could encourage people to remain in their community and avail of necessary care rather than availing of senior citizen flats, hospital care or private nursing care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10220/98]

Ivor Callely

Ceist:

73 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will consider issues of mutual benefit regarding development of the carer's allowance, particularly with issues of mutual concern with the Department of Health and Children and the Department of the Environment and Local Government; if he will set up a committee of these Departments to address these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10221/98]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 71, 72 and 73 together.

The carer's allowance is a social assistance scheme which provides an income maintenance payment for people who are providing elderly or incapacitated pensioners or certain persons with disabilities with full-time care and attention, and whose incomes fall below certain limits. At the end of last December 10,330 people were in receipt of a carer's allowance at a cost of over £37 million in 1997.

Since its introduction in 1990, the allowance has been improved and expanded progressively over the years. As announced in the budget, the weekly personal rate of the carer's allowance is being increased from next June by £5, from £70.50 to £75.50, for those over the age of 66, and £3 for carers under 66, from £70.50 to £73.50.

In addition, the budget also provided for three additional improvements for carers. The first two of these are of a more technical nature and benefit a small number of people. These improvements are a disregard of non-national disability pensions up to the maximum level of the old age contributory pension in assessing means and the payment of carer's allowance for six weeks after death to carers whose spouses were not in receipt of a social welfare payment. The third improvement is the provision of a free travel pass to all those in receipt of carer's allowance in their own right.
As part of my commitment to improve the supports for carers, I have recently reviewed the operation of the condition whereby the carer is required to provide the care recipient with full-time care and attention and have decided to adopt a more flexible approach. Carers may now attend educational or training courses or participate in voluntary or community based activities for around ten hours per week provided the carer makes adequate provision for the care recipient in his or her absence. These new arrangements come into effect immediately.
Government policy has placed an increasing emphasis on the role of community care in supporting the vast majority of people who wish to remain in their own homes and in their own communities. The informal caring which carers provide is crucial in order to achieve that objective.
In An Action Programme for the Millennium the Government is committed to progressively relaxing the qualifying criteria for the carer's allowance to ensure that more carers can get the benefit; and increasing the value of the allowance in real terms.
In line with these commitments, an interdepartmental working group, under the chairmanship of my Department, and with representatives from the Department of Finance and the Department of Health and Children, has been set up to review the carer's allowance. This review is considering the purpose and development of the scheme, both in terms of its current operation and its future development. It will also examine the potential for the development of provision for carers through the social insurance system and the role of the private sector.
As part of the review process, a series of meetings have been held with a wide number of interest groups and other interested parties. Consultations will also be held with the Department of the Environment and Local Government.
As this review is still ongoing, it is not possible at this stage to outline any possible recommendations which might be made to develop the carer's allowance and consequently to give any indications of potential impact on hospital and nursing home care services. The review is expected to be completed by the middle of this year and it will be published. Further developments will be considered, in a budgetary context, in the light of that review.
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