John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

When the debate adjourned yesterday I had begun to examine some of the specific provisions of the Bill and I had made reference in particular to child benefit. I mentioned the fact that while specific increases were made this year, they followed on significant increases made in previous years. That recognised the fact that a family with three children now gets almost €450 a month or an annual payment in child benefit of just under €5,500. The issue has frequently been raised that child benefit should be means tested or capped, and I refer specifically to the Minister's statement, with which I agree, that this is one of the few payments that is not taxable, assessed as means or as secondary benefit and is usually paid to the mother. We hear of people having a particular salary but it is not good enough to measure salary in those terms. It is the disposable income available to them. People may have a large income but if they have a large mortgage to pay, their disposable income may not be significant. In that case this money is of major importance and benefit. I suggest a word of caution is appropriate in that regard.

I want to refer to the area of carers' benefit and the respite grant scheme. The package in this Bill commits an additional spending of €35 million for carers and also allows more carers to qualify for entitlements. The respite care grant is being increased from €835 per annum to €1,000, and a total of almost 33,000 full-time carers are expected to receive the grant this year. I share the view of previous speakers who indicated that this figure might be underestimated. When the new conditions are put in place, that figure could be exceeded.

The respite care grant is being extended to include all carers who provide full-time care, subject to their not being employed for more than ten hours per week, in receipt of an unemployment payment or signing for unemployment credits. It is estimated that this will increase the number of full-time carers by 9,000. There are some who believe this could be further enlarged.

I welcome the fact that income limits relating to carer's allowance have also been changed. The Bill expands the income limits for carer's allowance by increasing the weekly means test income disregard by €20 to €270 for a single person and by €40 to €500 for a couple. This means a couple with two children can earn up to just over €30,000 and receive the maximum rate of carer's allowance. The same couple could earn €49,000 and receive the minimum rate of carer's allowance, while being able to access other items such as free travel, the household benefits package of free schemes and the respite care grant.

I do not wish merely to discuss the various improvements being introduced. This debate gives us the opportunity to consider the operation of some of the schemes. I will comment briefly on something that came to my attention in recent weeks in respect of carer's benefit. One of my children has been in Our Lady's Hospital since before Christmas and I have visited the hospital on a daily basis. I met parents from all parts of the country at the hospital who are in a situation similar to mine and who have been obliged to spend considerable periods there.

I would like the Minister to examine a particular difficulty in respect of the carer's benefit. If a parent has a child who is at home and ill for an extended period, he or she can apply for carer's leave and carer's benefit. If that child is subsequently hospitalised for a period of up to 13 weeks, the parent can retain the benefit. It appears, however, that if the child's illness commences with a hospital stay, the parents do not qualify for carer's benefit until she returns home. If the hospital stay is short, this does not present a major difficulty. However, I met a number of people from areas throughout the country whose children have been in Our Lady's Hospital for extended periods. An extended period is anything from four, five or six weeks. The hospital stays of the children of some of the parents to whom I refer had reached double figures in terms of weeks.

Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin could not survive or continue to operate without the active involvement of parents. Considerable difficulties are imposed on parents from rural areas who are obliged to accompany their children to the hospital and remain there with them. I accept that great improvements have been made in facilities at the hospital but parents from rural areas are obliged to give up work, leave their families and reside in or around Our Lady's Hospital. These people either sleep on mats on the floor beside their children's beds or they sleep in the new wing, the "Ronald McDonald House" as it is called.

There appears to be an anomaly in that the parents of children whose illness commences with a hospital stay do not qualify immediately for carer's benefit. If the illness begins at home, they qualify for the benefit and if a subsequent hospital stay lasts up to 13 weeks, they retain it. I ask the Minister to consider the position in respect of parents whose children are kept in hospital for extended periods. The hospital could not survive were it not for the work done by these parents. Young children cannot be left on their own and there are not sufficient staff numbers at the hospital to provide one to one care there. I ask the Minister to examine the position.

I wish now to deal with the capital disregards for means tests. There has been a great deal of debate in recent times about those who invested income in SSIAs. As the Minister recognises — we have discussed this matter previously — people who invested modest amounts of money in SSIAs were concerned they would lose some of their benefits by the time their accounts matured. Increasing the disregard from €12,500 to €20,000 will improve the position dramatically. The enhanced disregard applies to all capital, regardless of whether it is held in SSIAs or other accounts. Members of the public should be aware that the disregard does not apply solely to SSIAs. If they have other capital tied up elsewhere, it will be added to what is contained in their SSIAs. Most of those who are on social welfare payments and who have invested only in SSIAs will not lose any of their entitlements. This represents a significant improvement and shows the Minister listened to those who had concerns. People were not too worried when the SSIA scheme first came into place but they have become concerned as the maturation date draws near.

I compliment the Minister and the Minister for Finance as regards this year's social welfare budget which has increased by 9%, a figure far in excess of the rate of inflation.

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