Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 June 2022
231. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which the carer's allowance has been improved to meet requirements of more persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35223/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraCarer’s Allowance is the primary income support through which the Department supports carers in the community. Carer’s Allowance is a payment to people on low incomes who are caring full-time for a person who needs support because of age, disability or illness (including mental illness). The person being cared for must require full-time care and attention. There are currently 90,833 people in receipt of Carer's Allowance. This represents an increase of almost 21% in the past 5 years, from 75,264 in 2017. This year the estimated expenditure on the Carer’s Allowance scheme is over €990 million.As part of Budget 2022 significant changes were made to the Carer’s Allowance means test. These were the first changes to the means test in 14 years.
- The capital and savings disregard for the Carer’s Allowance means assessment was increased from €20,000 to €50,000, aligning it with that which applies for Disability Allowance.
- For carer’s who work, the weekly income disregard was increased from €332.50 to €350 for a single person, and from €665 to €750 for carers with a spouse/partner.
A more generous means assessment for Carer’s Allowance has been called for over successive Budgets by organisations representing carers. An increase in the general weekly income disregard will enable more carers with modest incomes to become eligible for Carer’s Allowance, and therefore provide an income support to carers, whose earning capacity is significantly constrained as a consequence of their caring responsibilities.
The change to the income disregard along with the measure in 2020, whereby the number of hours a carer could engage in employment increased from 15 to 18.5 hours will allow more carers who are in a position to work have a higher household income.
Increasing the capital disregard will allow carers who have accumulated relatively modest savings, often to provide sufficient moneys to care for a loved one, to retain these savings without it impacting upon their carer’s payment. It also brings the capital formula applied to savings in the means assessment for Carer’s Allowance in line with Disability Allowance.
The changes came into effect on 2 June. I am satisfied that many Carers who up to now did not qualify for a payment due to means will now be brought into the Carers Allowance system for the first time.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
