Support for carers is provided by a range of Government Departments, including the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Finance and my own Department. The issue for which my Department has responsibility is the carer's allowance scheme.
The Review of the Carer's Allowance, which was published by my Department in October 1998, noted that it is difficult to estimate the number of full-time carers in the country. While care groups have estimated this figure to be around 100,000 carers, it is not clear that all of these are full-time carers. Based on work in the review, the current figure is estimated to be around 50,000 people, including those caring for older people and adults and children with disabilities. While details of this group on a regional basis are not available, the table below give county details for those in receipt of the carer's allowance.
Number of recipients for carers allowance by county, 1999, estimated: Carlow 217; Cavan 320; Clare 399; Cork 1,269; Donegal 1,054; Dublin 2,035; Galway 1,071; Kerry 800; Kildare 393; Kilkenny 316; Laois 214; Leitrim 175; Limerick 773; Longford 244; Louth 313; Mayo 1,000; Meath 354; Monaghan 321; Offaly 308; Roscommon 329; Sligo 279; Tipperary 726; Waterford 315; Westmeath 302; Wexford 490; Wicklow 370; Total 14,387.
The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to people who are providing certain elderly or incapacitated persons with full-time care and attention and whose incomes fall below a certain limit.
At the end of May 2000, there were 15,380 carer's allowances in payment compared to just over 9,200 when this Government came to office three years ago. This represents an increase of over 67 per cent in the number of carers receiving the allowance during that period. Over the same period expenditure on carer's allowance has grown from £36.5 million to an estimated £78.3 million this year, an increase of 115%.
Following a detailed examination of the review of the carer's allowance a range of measures were introduced in the last two budgets to improve and develop the position of carers. The main supports for carers in receipt of the carer's allowance or carers who are caring for recipients of a constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance, in addition to the weekly income support payment, are as follows: