Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The Government has decided that recipients of the carer's allowance will be excluded from the single payment given that they are providing full-time care. Recipients of the half-time carer's allowance are generally either in receipt of another payment or are in part-time employment. The decision will depend on their situation but the decision includes carers generally.

The carer's allowance is fundamentally different from other schemes in terms of its objectives and measurement of a successful outcome. The underlying premise of the single payment is that people are available for work even if there are barriers such as disability or lack of child care, training or education. The success of the single working age payment is dependent on the availability of services of an appropriate nature. However, the underlying premise of the carer's allowance is that people are not available for work because they are providing full-time care and attention for someone assessed as needing care. The desired outcome is that they continue to receive carer's allowance as long as they continue to provide care.

In terms of public policy, all parties in this House recognise the valuable contribution that carers make to family members who are ill or require special attention, whether children or elderly relatives. The carer's allowance is not specifically a working age payment because it is available to anyone over the age of 18.

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