Mr. R?n?n Hession:

There is always a border around the conditions under which a payment is made available. Generally, these are payments where a person has an ongoing, long-term - usually a year or more - need for income support. The logic is that an ongoing condition will impair a person’s ability as a carer, disabled person or jobseeker to support themselves, so the State steps in and provides income support.

If it is for a short period, the State tends not to step in. There are exceptions to that in some schemes but I am speaking broadly. These are big schemes. The carer's allowance costs more than €1 billion. In the context of a budget where a Minister might have €400 million to play with, there are trade-offs. As a civil servant, I cannot comment on the merits of a policy. These are debating points for policymakers essentially.