Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)

I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this issue, which I am dealing with on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary. The Government acknowledges the vital role that family carers play in our society and remains fully committed to supporting them in that role. This commitment is reflected in both the programme for Government and the recent budget.

The Department of Social Protection provides a comprehensive range of income supports for family carers, including carer’s allowance, the non-means-tested carer’s benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer’s support grant. In 2026 spending on these supports is expected to exceed €2.2 billion, with almost 103,000 carers currently receiving the carer’s allowance payment. Carer’s allowance is the main scheme through which the Department provides income support to carers in the community. It is a means-tested social assistance payment for people on low incomes who are providing full-time care to someone who requires ongoing support due to age, disability, or illness. The person being cared for must require full-time care and attention.

As part of budget 2026 we are increasing the income disregard for a single person by €375 per week to €1,000. That is an increase of 60% and means that a single person who provides full-time care but does some part-time work can earn over €55,000 per year from that work and receive a full carer's payment. In parallel, we are also increasing the income disregard for a couple by 60% or €750 to €2,000 per week. These are the largest ever increases in the carer’s allowance income disregard and will mean that even people with what are considered to be relatively high incomes will qualify for a carer’s payment for the first time. For example, a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €110,000 will still retain the full carer’s allowance payment and even with an income of €138,000 a carer will retain a partial payment. We are also increasing the personal rates of payment for carer’s allowance, maternity benefit and other schemes by €10 from January.

The Irish social welfare system is underpinned by the principle of one person, one payment. Ordinarily, individuals who qualify for more than one social welfare payment receive only the higher payment. However, there are limited exceptions, one of which is the half-rate carer’s allowance. This arrangement allows individuals in receipt of certain social welfare payments, who are also providing full-time care, to retain their main payment and receive a supplementary payment, subject to a means test, up to the value of a half-rate carer’s allowance. In the case outlined by the Deputy, a carer on maternity leave may be eligible to receive both the full weekly rate of maternity benefit at €289 and a half-rate carer’s allowance at €130, which is €419 per week. Therefore, in such circumstances, a carer goes from receiving a payment of €260 per week to €419 per week. This is an increase of €159 per week. Where the maternity benefit recipient has adult or child dependants, she may also qualify for an increase for a qualified adult €162 per week and child support payments of €50 per week for children under 12, or €62 for children aged 12 and over. Maternity benefit is compared to the rate of illness benefit, and the higher of the two is paid. When a carer goes on maternity leave, the Department increases the payment made to that person by paying out both the full rate of maternity benefit along with a half-rate carer’s allowance.

This Government has committed to improving supports for carers and those they care for and the significant changes to the means test for carer’s allowance announced in last week’s budget clearly demonstrate that commitment.

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