Written Answers - Social Welfare Payments.
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:
10
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
her plans to recognise the efforts of carers who are not currently in receipt of a payment; when she is likely to make payments available to such people; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4996/03]
Pat Rabbitte
Ceist:
13
Mr. Rabbitte
asked the
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
the number of people in receipt of the carer's allowance; her proposals to abolish the means test for the carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4840/03]
Denis Naughten
Ceist:
25
Mr. Naughten
asked the
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
her plans to amend the carer's allowance to allow widows to receive a payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4877/03]
John Gormley
Ceist:
27
Mr. Gormley
asked the
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
the measures which exists to assess the number of full time at home carers providing care here.
[4933/03]
Richard Bruton
Ceist:
28
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
the percentage of carers who receive the carer's allowance; the total number of carers; if she will increase the income disregard; and the cost of abolishing the means test.
[4872/03]
Dan Neville
Ceist:
32
Mr. Neville
asked the
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
if she will remove the means test for carers' allowance applicants.
[26146/02]
Michael Ring
Ceist:
44
Mr. Ring
asked the
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
if she will consider giving widows and widowers who are under the age of 66 years, and do not qualify for the carers allowance or the respite grant, at least the respite grant in view of the fact that they are full time carers but get no recognition for it.
[4852/03]
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:
60
Mr. Quinn
asked the
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
the steps she is taking to establish a national database of carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[4829/03]
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:
149
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for Social and Family Affairs
when she expects to increase the number of carers who are eligible for payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[5129/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 13, 25, 27, 28, 32, 44, 60 and 149 together.
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. As with all other social assistance schemes, a means test in which the income of both the applicant and his/her partner is assessable is applied to the carer's allowance to ensure that limited resources are directed to those in greatest need.
Provision has been made in successive budgets for substantial increases in the disregards. From April 2003 the weekly income disregards will increase to €210 for a single carer and €420 for a couple. The effect of this increase will ensure that a couple with two children, earning a joint income of up to €24,150 can qualify for the maximum rate of carer's allowance while the same couple, if they had an income of €39,750,could still qualify for the minimum carer's allowance, plus the free schemes and the 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. It is estimated that abolition of the means test could cost in the region of €150 million per annum. In view of the many supports required by carers, particularly in community care and respite care, it is not considered that abolition of the means test is the best way to support carers or the best use of resources.
With regard to a national database of carers, work has been undertaken by the Central Statistics Office to identify the numbers of carers providing full-time care and attention. This was done through a census pilot survey carried out by the Central Statistics Office in September 1999. The detailed results of the survey are as follows: 35,000 people provide more than 50 hours unpaid personal help per week, or seven hours per day; 7,000 people provide 20-49 hours unpaid personal help per week, or between three and seven hours per day; 79,000 people provide 1-19 hours unpaid personal help per week, or between nine minutes and two and a half hours per day.
There are currently over 20,500 carers in receipt of carer's allowance which means that almost 40% 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. Expenditure on carer's allowance in 2002 was €160 million.
The Central Statistics Office included for the first time in the 2002 census, a question in relation to the number of hours spent providing personal care. The analysis of this portion of the census, when available, should provide an indication of the numbers of full-time and part-time carers.
In relation to paying carer's allowance concurrently with another social welfare payment such as widow or widower's pension, 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. This ensures that resources are not used to make two income support payments to any one individual. Of course, a person qualifying for two social welfare payments will always receive the higher payment to which he or she are entitled. The respite care grant is paid to carers who are in receipt of a carer's allowance and to carers who are caring for recipients of a constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance. It is a contribution towards respite care to be used as the recipients wish. All other matters relating to the provision and availability of respite care are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children.
In relation to recognising the efforts of carers and meeting their needs, the health strategy which was published by the Department of Health and Children at the end of 2001 commits the Government to reforming the current arrangements, including the carer's allowance, in order to introduce an integrated care subvention scheme which maximises support for home care. The strategy also contains a number of other pro posals including the introduction of a respite care grant to cover two weeks respite care per annum for dependent older people. A number of Government Departments are involved in progressing these and other initiatives for carers and those for whom they care. Further improvements to the carer's allowance scheme will be considered in a budgetary context in the light of available resources and the development of the range of supports for carers will continue to be a priority for this Government in line with our agreed programme for Government.
