Paul McGrath
Ceist:101 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the rate of payment to foster parents on 1 December in each of the past five years; and the present rate of payment. [13943/02]
Written Answers. - Foster Care.
The rates of payment to foster carers on 1 December in each of the past five years, and the present rate of payment, which was introduced in January of this year, are as follows:
|
Date |
Rate payable in respect of children under 12 (£) |
Rate payable in respect of children under 12 (€) |
Rate payable in respect of children of 12 and over (£) |
Rate payable in respect of children of 12 and over (€) |
|
1 December 1997 |
57.75 |
73.07 |
64.70 |
82.15 |
|
1 December 1998 |
60.25 |
76.50 |
73.75 |
93.64 |
|
1 December 1999 |
67.85 |
86.15 |
75.40 |
95.74 |
|
1 December 2000 |
75.55 |
90.84 |
85.75 |
108.88 |
|
1 December 2001 |
200.00 |
253.94 |
220.00 |
279.34 |
|
June 2002 |
213.03 |
270.50 |
233.51 |
296.50 |
The new foster care allowance scheme, which was introduced in August 2001, was designed to give effect in practice to the recommendations contained in the report of the working group on foster care, Foster Care: A Child-Centred Partnership. The report recommended that all payments made in addition to the basic foster care allowance should be abolished and that the basic allowance should be increased.
The report also recommended that orphan's allowances and pensions should not be paid in respect of children in respect of whom foster care allowances were being paid. However, it was not possible to implement these recommendations in exactly the manner set out in the report. The new foster care allowance scheme is designed to achieve the same objective which is to provide an adequate level of payment to foster carers to enable them to look after their children and to ensure that all children in foster care are treated fairly and equitably. The new scheme has therefore substantially increased the foster care allowance and has incorporated the orphan's allowance-pension.