Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to takes Questions Nos. 11, 68, 98 and 101 together.

My Department provides a comprehensive set of income supports for carers. These include carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer's support grant. Through these schemes over 135,000 carers are supported by regular income payments. Spending in 2021 on these payments is expected to be approximately €1.5 billion.

I announced a number of measures in budget 2022 which will enable carers to have a higher weekly household income and a higher amount of savings while still qualifying for a carer’s allowance payment. From June 2022, the income disregarded in the means test for carer’s allowance will increase from €332.50 to €350 for a single person and from €665 to €750 for a couple. The amount of capital disregarded in the carer's allowance means test will be increased from €20,000 to €50,000 from June 2022. From January, the domiciliary care allowance will now be available for up to six months in respect of children who enter hospital. Carer’s allowance will also be paid during this extended period where applicable. The Social Welfare Bill 2021 will be published and brought through the Houses of the Oireachtas in the coming weeks.

The Government recognises the important role that family carers play in Irish society and is fully committed to their support through a range of supports and services. The main income supports for carers provided by my Department include carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer's support grant. Carer's allowance is the primary income support provided by the Department for those who cannot earn an income due to their caring responsibilities. The two principal conditions for receipt of carer's allowance are that full-time care and attention are required and are being provided and that the means test that applies is satisfied. Where carers are providing care for more than one person an increase of 50% is applied to carer's allowance. Carers may also qualify, subject to certain conditions, for the household benefits package and a free travel pass.

Carer's allowance acts as an income support for those who cannot earn an income due to their caring responsibilities. The application of the means test not only ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need but also that resources are targeted to those with the greatest need. The existing income disregard and means test for carer's allowance are the most generous in the social welfare system and the amount of weekly earnings disregarded has been increased in the budget for next year. A more generous means assessment for carer's allowance has been sought over successive budgets by organisations representing carers and Deputies and the measure recognises the role of carers and the contribution they make to society. Deputy Calleary has been promoting and advocating for this.

The increase in the general weekly income disregard will enable more carers with modest incomes to become eligible for carer's allowance and therefore provide an income support to carers whose earning capacity is significantly constrained as a consequence of their caring responsibilities. Increasing the capital disregard will allow carers who have accumulated relatively modest savings, often to provide sufficient moneys to care for a loved one, to retain these savings without it impacting on their carer's payments. That is an important measure. The change to domiciliary care allowance will go some way to address the issue of the small number of children who are in receipt of domiciliary care allowance and are admitted to hospital for an extended period of time.

In October 2021, there were 90,478 people in receipt of carer's allowance. Projected expenditure in 2021 is estimated at €953 million. In the period 2010 to 2020, the number of people in receipt of carer's allowance increased by 76% while expenditure over that period increased by 84%. In terms of carer's benefit, in October 2021 there were 3,344 people in receipt of carer's benefit. Projected expenditure in 2021 is estimated at €47.6 million. In the period between 2010 and 2020, the number of people in receipt of carer's benefit increased by 125% while expenditure over that period increased by 88%. It is fair to say that this indicates a strong commitment by the Government to improving the supports for carers.

The carer's support grant is an annual payment and it was increased in last year's budget to the highest ever level. It is now €1,850 and anybody who has a caring role will get that payment. It is not means tested. In 2014, there were 75,000 receiving carer's grants and in 2020 there were 116,000 people receiving that grant as well.

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