Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 6 Nov 2001

Vol. 543 No. 2

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

594 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will review the situation where individuals on unemployment benefit are ineligible for the fuel allowance and Christmas bonus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26129/01]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

The Christmas bonus payments are made to long-term welfare recipients to help alleviate hardship due to the additional demands on people's resources at Christmas time. The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are on long-term social welfare or health board payments and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. Any proposal to extend the bonus payment or national fuel scheme to recipients of short-term payments, such as unemployment benefit, would be inconsistent with these basic objectives and would create inevitable pressures for further extension to other short-term categories in the future.

The Deputy's question specifically refers to the position of people who return to the live register following a period of community employment and who, by virtue of having paid Class A PRSI contributions, qualify or re-qualify for unemployment benefit. The Social Welfare Act, 1996, provided for the extension of Class A PRSI cover to community employment workers. This rate of contribution provides cover for the full range of benefits and pensions available under the social insurance system including unemployment benefit. Therefore a person applying for unemployment benefit following cessation of community employment is in the same position as any other person applying for unemployment benefit and secondary benefits are not payable. However, if a person was in receipt of long-term unemployment assistance prior to taking up community employment, he or she retains any secondary benefits while participating on the scheme.

Under the Social Welfare Act, 2000, I introduced a change to these arrangements to enable such community employment workers who revert to the live register following completion of a period on a community employment scheme and who would have entitlement to unemployment benefit to opt instead to receive long-term unemployment assistance and therefore retain any

secondary benefits.

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

595 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans he has to review the means test for carer's allowance for parents or siblings of children with an intellectual disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26130/01]

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

596 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans he has to allow social welfare recipients to receive the carer's allowance; if there are plans not to consider it as a dual social welfare payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26131/01]

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

597 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans he has to allow individuals in receipt of widow's pension to also claim the carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26132/01]

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

598 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans he has to introduce a non-means tested continual care payment to recognised carers providing the highest level of care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26133/01]

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

599 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will consider an initiative whereby a person in receipt of survivors pension, caring for a person with an intellectual or other disability, can be considered for the carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26134/01]

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

615 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will allow a carer to continue to receive allowance and secondary benefits when a person with a disability returns to work to ensure a family is not financially disadvantaged by availing of paid employment. [26774/01]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 595 to 599, inclusive, and 615 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. In budget 2001, in addition to the substantial weekly rate increases of £8 – 10.16 – for carers aged under 66 and £10 – 12.70 – 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 weekly income disregards in the carer's allowance means test from £75 – 95.23 – to £125 – 158.72, for a single person and from £150 – 190.46, to £250 – 317.43, for a couple. The effect of this increase ensures that a couple with two children, earning a joint income in the region of £15,100 – 19,173.04 – qualify for the maximum rate of carer's allowance while a couple in receipt of £26,000 – 33,013.19 – qualifies for the minimum carer's allowance, plus the free schemes and respite care grant.

The 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. As I announced in my budget speech last year, 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.

Carer's allowance is an income support payment and not a payment for caring. The primary objective of the social welfare system is to provide income support and, as a general rule, only one social welfare payment is payable to an individual to ensure that resources are not used to make two income support payments to any one individual. A person who would otherwise qualify for two social welfare payments will always receive the higher payment to which they are entitled.

The review of the carer's allowance published in October 1998 proposed the introduction of a non-means tested continual care payment to recognise carers providing the highest levels of care and to promote care in the community. It envisaged that this payment would be made, irrespective of income or social welfare entitlement, to carers caring for those who are in the highest category of dependency. In order to differentiate between the levels of care and care needs, the review considered that a needs assessment encompassing both the needs of the care recipient and the carer should be introduced and that the continual care payment could be introduced following the introduction of such an assessment. It was considered that a needs assessment would separate care needs from income support needs and could be used by all State organisations which provide reliefs or grants to those in need of care. Establishing a pilot system of needs assessment for carers and people needing care was identified as a priority in the Government's review of its action programme. This area is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Moffatt.

As regards care recipients returning to employment, one of the main conditions for receipt of the carer's allowance is that the person being cared for must be so invalided or disabled as to need full-time care and attention. A person is regarded as requiring full-time care and attention when s/he is so disabled or invalided that s/he requires from another person continual supervision in order to avoid danger to him/herself or continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with his/her normal personal needs, for example, help to walk and get about, eat or drink, wash, bathe, dress etc. In addition, the care recipient must be so disabled or invalided as to be likely to require full-time care and attention for a period of at least 12 months.

When a care recipient takes up employment, that person is asked to submit a medical report from their doctor. This is examined by the chief medical adviser of my Department who decides if the care recipient still requires full-time care and attention. If this is the case, the carer's allowance remains in payment, subject to all other qualifying conditions for receipt of carer's allowance being fulfilled. In addition, a carer continues to be regarded as providing full-time care and attention where the person being cared for is attending a non-residential course of rehabilitation training or a non-residential day care centre approved by the Minister for Health and Children.

The development of the range of supports for carers continues to be a priority for this Government and, building on the foundations now in place, we will continue to develop the types of services which recognise the value of the caring ethos and which provide real support and practical assistance to people who devote their time to improving the quality of life for others. The question of further improvements to the carer's allowance and for carers generally will be considered in the context of the forthcoming budget, taking account of our key priorities in the care area, as set out in the review of our action programme.

Question No. 600 answered with Question No. 586.

Question No. 601 withdrawn.

Question No. 602 answered with Question No. 586.