Frances Fitzgerald
Ceist:184 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the additional cost of increasing each carer's respite grant by £100 in 2001. [12515/01]
Written Answers - Carer's Allowance.
Frances Fitzgerald
Ceist:185 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the percentage of carer's who currently receive a carer's allowance; the reason the number is so small relative to the total numbers caring; and his plans to abolish the means test or increase the disregard. [12518/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 and 185 together.
The carer's allowance is a means tested payment for carers on low income who look after people in need of full-time care and attention.
This most recent estimate of the number of full-time carers has been provided by the results of the census pilot survey carried out by the Central Statistics Office. This survey was carried out in September 1999 and is based on a sample of 8,000 households in which persons aged 15 years or over were asked if they provided unpaid personal help for someone with a long-term illness, health problem or disability, including problems due to old age.
The detailed results are as follows:
–35,000 people provide more than 50 hours unpaid personal help per week, or seven hours per day.
–17,000 people provide 20-49 hours unpaid personal help per week, or between three and seven hours per day.
–79,000 people provide one to 19 hours unpaid personal help per week, or between nine minutes and 2.5 hours per day.
These results are consistent with the figure of 50,000 full-time carers as estimated in the review of the carer's allowance. It also explains the estimate of 120,000 carers used by the carer organisations which I have consistently said was due to the definition they were using of carer as someone who visits or assists a person but who does not provide full-time care. I have asked the Central Statistics Office to consider using a more detailed breakdown of these hours when conducting the census next year.
There are almost 17,000 carers in receipt of carer's allowance. These figures show that almost 33% of the 52,000 carers, as estimated by the CSO to be caring for more than three hours per day, are in receipt of carer's allowance. This is an increase of almost 84% in the number of carers in receipt of the allowance since this Government took office and indeed, it should also be noted that the expected increase of another 5,000 carers following the recent increases in income disregards will increase this percentage to 44% of all carers who are providing more than three hours care per day.
This large increase is reflected in the expenditure on carer's allowance, which was £36.5 million in 1997 and is projected to be £108.4 million next year, representing an increase of almost 200%.
In the recent budget, in addition to the substantial rate increases of £8 for carers aged under 66 and £10 for carers aged over 66, I also announced a number of other measures to support carers. In particular, I made provision for a substantial increase from April 2001 in the income disregards in the carer's allowance means test from £75 to £125 for a single person and from £150 to £250 for a couple. This will enable more than 5,000 new carers to qualify for carer's allowance and almost 3,000 existing carers to receive an increased payment. The effect of this increase will ensure that a couple with two children earning a joint income in the region of £15,100 will qualify for the maximum rate of carer's allowance while a couple in receipt of £25,100 will qualify for the minimum carer's allowance plus the free schemes and respite care grant.
This means test applied to the carer's allowance is one of the more flexible tests in terms of the assessment of household incomes and the measures that I have introduced further enhance the qualification criteria for this scheme. In view of the many supports required by carers, particularly in the community care and respite care areas, I do not consider that abolition of the means test, at a cost in the region of £180 million, to be the best way to support carers or the best use of resources.
The income disregards I have introduced already exceed the income limits for the minimum wage rate for joint income households and ensure that carers receive a maximum allowance. As I announced in my budget speech, I envisage moving towards what I see as the optimum situation whereby all carers whose joint family income is at average industrial earnings will qualify for carer's allowance at the maximum rate.
One of the many measures I introduced in 1999 was a new annual respite care grant payable to all carers in receipt of carer's allowance and to carers who are caring for recipients of a constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance to use in whatever way they choose. There has been very positive feedback on this payment and with this in mind I also made provision for an increase in the amount of the respite care grant from £300 to £400 and a double respite care grant of £800 for carers who are caring for more than one care recipient. These increases will become effective in June 2001, when the grant is next due, at a full year cost of over £3 million. Increasing the amount of the respite care grant by a further £100 could cost an additional £2.5 million annually.