I propose to take Questions Nos. 57, 104, 113, 126, 246 and 258 to 260, inclusive, 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. The primary objective of the social welfare system is to provide income support and, as a general rule, only one weekly social welfare payment is payable to an individual. This ensures resources are not used to make two income support payments to any one person. Persons qualifying for two social welfare payments always receive the higher payment to which they are entitled. Any changes would involve additional expenditure which could only be considered in a budgetary context. However, I continue to carefully examine the issue as part of an ongoing review of supports for carers.
The overall number of persons receiving a carer's allowance at week ending 13 May 2005 was 23,307. A total of 15,050 claims were received during 2003 and 2004; 9,740 of these claims were awarded and 4,040 were refused. Approximately 1,000 claims were on hand at the end of 2004. The balance of claims was withdrawn. In addition, there are 711 carer's benefit claims in payment and a further 1,839 claims that were previously in payment have been closed for a number of reasons, such as the carer is no longer providing care.
It is estimated that the annual gross cost of extending the carer's allowance to an additional 5,000 carers and giving them the full package of free schemes would be in the region of €48 million annually. However, there would be some savings where these additional carers may currently be in receipt of another payment from my Department and may already be in receipt of the free schemes.
I introduced a number of improvements for carers in the last budget which will benefit existing recipients of carer's payments and will also serve to extend support to carers who are not eligible for carer's payments. The most significant of these relates to the respite care grant. I have made provision for increasing the respite care grant to €1,000 and the extension of it to all persons providing full-time care and attention, regardless of their means. This means the respite care grant will now be paid to persons providing full-time care but who are on another social welfare payment, excluding unemployment assistance and benefit. It will also be paid to carers who do not currently receive a weekly social welfare payment from my Department. The grant will continue to be paid automatically to those who are in receipt of carer's payments.
This arrangement is being introduced to recognise the valuable role of carers and to acknowledge the needs of carers, especially for respite care. It is estimated that, overall, almost 33,000 carers will receive a respite care grant in June. As this is the first year of this new extended grant, I will keep it under review, particularly with regard to the qualification conditions.
With regard to the Carers Association's national strategy, I presume the Deputy is referring to the document, Towards a Family Carers Strategy. I am honoured that the Carers Association has invited me to officially launch this document next Monday. I am particularly interested in the views expressed in the strategy about encouraging carers to participate in the labour force. My officials are currently examining proposals regarding care sharing. The details are still being teased out but I hope to be in a position to make progress this year. I am always prepared to consider changes to existing arrangements and, in this context, I will continue to review the issues raised by the Carers Association and other bodies representing carers.