Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

All carers in receipt of carer's allowance, carer's benefit, prescribed relative allowance or constant attendance allowance will automatically receive the respite care grant from my Department next June without having to apply for it. Similarly, carers who get domiciliary care allowance from the Health Service Executive will automatically receive the respite care grant from the HSE.

The respite care grant was extended in 2005 to carers other than those in receipt of a carer's allowance, carer's benefit, prescribed relative allowance, constant attendance allowance and domiciliary care allowance. Carers who do not qualify for a grant under one of these schemes may now obtain a grant if they and the person for whom they care satisfy certain conditions. In 2005 my Department ran a press campaign advertising the scheme in national newspapers and the local press. Posters were put up in various centres and offices. The Department operated a freefone service to advise customers of potential entitlement and assistance in matters relating to the scheme.

For the coming year, all customers who received a grant in 2005 will be contacted individually to inform them of their entitlement and to verify that their circumstances have not changed since last year. Following that, the Department will again advertise the scheme nationally through national and local newspapers. We will also provide a freefone service to outline scheme improvements to customers and to assist them with their applications. Supplies of information booklets and application forms will be available in local social welfare offices as well as on request from the respite care grant section in Dublin.

In addition, the Department will review, case by case, claims that failed to qualify last year because the carer was working outside the home for more than ten hours per week. People in these circumstances may now qualify as the maximum number of hours has recently been extended to 15 hours per week.

My Department will also write to customers who apply for carer's allowance and who do not qualify for payment on means grounds requesting that they apply for the respite care grant payment. They may qualify for that payment as it is not subject to a means test. I extended eligibility for the grant to this new category of applicants in the budget for 2005 to ensure that people who do not qualify for any of the payments I mentioned earlier and who look after people who are not capable of looking after themselves get some recognition from the State for their efforts.

In addition to the 2006 scheme, applications will be accepted for the 2005 scheme up to 31 December 2006. To date, almost 7,000 people have benefited from the 2005 scheme at a cost of just under €7 million. I am satisfied that these arrangements will be successful in ensuring that as many eligible carers as possible are made aware of their entitlement to the respite care grant.

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