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

My Department provides a comprehensive package of carers' income supports, including the carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer's support grant. Combined spending on these payments to carers in 2022 is estimated to exceed €1.5 billion. There are currently 2,976 recipients of carer's allowance in County Mayo. The Minister for Health has confirmed the payment of a Covid recognition payment, ring-fenced to certain workers ordinarily on-site in Covid-19-exposed healthcare environments. This payment is a matter for him and is not under the responsibility of my Department.

In so far as my role as Minister for Social Protection is concerned, I have done my utmost to support the invaluable work and role played by carers in our society. Despite the extra financial demands due to the Covid-19 crisis, I increased the carer's support grant by €150 to a rate of €1,850. This is the highest rate since its introduction. In budget 2022, I introduced a range of measures benefiting family carers directly, including a €5 increase in maximum rate of all core weekly payments with effect from January; a €3 increase for qualified child dependants aged 12 and over, and a €2 increase for those up to age 12, in all core weekly payments; a €5 increase in the fuel allowance from €28 to €33 per week from 12 October 2021; an increase in the weekly income disregard for carer's allowance to €350 a week for single carers, and to €750 for carers with a spouse or partner; and an increase in the capital or savings disregard for carer's allowance from €20,000 to €50,000. I assure the Deputy that I am very aware of the key role of carers and, in particular, the challenges they faced in light of Covid-19. I trust this clarifies the matter for her.

See this speech in context