Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Scanlon for raising this very important issue. I accept that he has made some very valid points. I will give the Deputy the detailed response from the Department and will answer any further questions he may have then.

Domiciliary care allowance, DCA, is a payment made in respect of a child with a disability who requires care and attention substantially in excess of another child of the same age without a disability. Eligibility for the allowance is not based on the child’s disability but on the resultant additional care needs. No disability excludes a child from qualifying but neither does a particular disability automatically qualify a child.

DCA is currently paid to over 38,000 parents or guardians in respect of over 42,000 children at a cost in excess of €213 million per annum, when the cost of the associated carer's support grant is included. DCA was first introduced by the Minister for Health in 1973. The payment was specifically designed to help parents or guardians of severely disabled children between two and 16 years of age who were being cared for at home. To qualify, the child had to have a severe disability requiring constant care and attention substantially in excess of that needed by a child of the same age, which was likely to last for at least 12 months. In 2000, the scheme was reformed and was extended to include children under two years of age. The scheme transferred to the Department of Social Protection in 2009. The scheme is not means tested and is paid at the rate of €309.50 per month. The carer’s support grant of €1,700, is also automatically payable to all DCA recipients in June each year. Some 60% of DCA recipients are also in receipt of the carer's allowance.

Claim volumes have been increasing over recent years. In 2017 over 8,000 applications were received, 763 more than in 2016 and 1,012 more than 2015. Following the full application process, that is, the initial application, the provision of further medical information by the applicant, revised decisions and appeals, over 80% of applications are allowed.

Applications are normally decided within ten weeks. Children who qualify for the allowance also qualify automatically for a medical card. Domiciliary care allowance is payable to whoever is considered to be the qualified person to receive the allowance. Section 186D of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 defines a qualified person as the person with whom the child normally resides and who cares for him or her. In order for domiciliary care allowance to be payable, a child must be resident with the qualified person for at least five days per week as per section 140C of SI 162 of 2009. The rationale for this condition - this touches on the point raised by the Deputy - is to ensure the payment is made to the person who is the main carer of the child and with whom he or she is considered to reside. There is no provision under the legislation to support the splitting of the domiciliary care allowance payment between two parents.

Domiciliary care allowance is a payment made in respect of the care of a child and can be taken into account when parents are agreeing maintenance or other arrangements for the care of the child. While it remains payable to one parent only, the amount paid can be considered as part of the overall care package for the support of the child. Therein lies part of the solution.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy, but I am listening on the broader issue because I take the points made by the Deputy in his introductory speech.

See this speech in context