Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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91. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the means test for carer’s allowance will be abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20503/25]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Tá fhios againn go mothaíonn na cúramóirí baile nach bhfuil mórán tacaíocht á fháil acu ach amháin an liúntas cúramóra, agus fiú ansin tá means test i gceist. Cén uair a bheidh an Aire ag fáil réidh leis an tástáil achmhainne? Tá riachtanas ann fáil réidh leis.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist a chur. Táimid ag iarraidh obair i dteannta cúramóirí chun iad a sheoladh. Tá brón orm nach bhfuil freagra agam as Gaeilge.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Tá sé ceart go leor, fuair mé an cheist i mBéarla.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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In future, I will make sure we have the answers as Gaeilge for the Deputy.

We are very aware of the key role that family carers play. The main income supports to carers provided by my Department are carer’s allowance, carer’s benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer’s support grant, which will account for over €1.9 billion of my Department's budget in 2025. The carer’s allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to carers. There are currently 99,256 people in receipt of carer's allowance, which accounts for €1.24 billion of my Department's budget.

In common with other social welfare payments, the primary objective of the carer’s allowance payment is to provide an income support to people who experience a contingency that means that their capacity to earn an income from employment is significantly reduced. Carer’s allowance is means-tested and does not require any social insurance contributions. Means tests are used within the social welfare system to target the support to those most in need in a manner that is progressive in terms of income distribution.

The income disregards for carers are already the most generous in the social welfare system and are being further improved. This July the weekly income disregard will increase further from €450 to €625 for a single person, and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse or partner. This means that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €69,000 will still retain their full carer's payment and even with an income of €97,000 will retain a partial payment.

As the Deputy said, the programme for Government commits to continue this process. We will significantly increase the income disregards for carer’s allowance in each budget with a view to ultimately phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Minister. It is more than a year since the carer's referendum was overwhelmingly rejected. Almost 74% of those who voted said "No". The big issue that came up was the abolition of the means test on foot of the figure the Minister referred to of more than 99,000. Of course, many other carers get absolutely nothing. There are some suggestions that the figure in this regard is as high as 500,000. Considering this as an income support is the completely wrong way to look at it. We should look at it in terms of the fact that society cannot function without carers. We need to put an economic value, as well as a psychological and carer's value, on that work because we cannot talk about a thriving economy if we do not have carers.

I am a little disappointed that a year on from the referendum, the Minister has indicated that he will work towards the abolition of the means test during the lifetime of the Government. That could be almost five years from now. He is failing utterly to recognise the value of the work done by carers.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I assure the Deputy that we absolutely value the work of carers. That has been shown by the work done on the income disregards, which will take effect this July, in recent years and the introduction of the long-term carer's contribution scheme in January 2024. Under that scheme, a person who has been a full-time carer for an incapacitated dependent for at least 20 years, or 1,040 weeks, can get long-term carer's contributions to cover gaps in their contribution record. This will allow them to qualify for a contributory State pension. That is the first time this has happened.

The carer's benefit payment has been extended to the self-employed. We have also introduced and increased the carer's support grant to €2,000, the highest rate that payment has ever been. I have already gone through the income disregards which will increase from €450 to €625 for a single person and from €900 to €1250 for a carer with a spouse or partner. Since June 2022, a cumulative increase in the disregard is €292.50 for a single carer and €585 for a carer who is part of a couple. That shows a direction of travel on this. I am determined to continue the work of my predecessor, Heather Humphreys, in this regard.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I do not doubt the bona fides of the Minister, but the referendum was overwhelmingly rejected because of the false narrative that was played out, hypocrisy and a failure to recognise that we cannot function as a society without carers, the vast majority of whom are women and are not paid. We need to recognise that. While I welcome the changes that have been made, which are positive, it is an utter and abject failure to recognise that we need to value the work of carers in a manner that is realistic and put a value on it.

I understand that an interdepartmental committee was established and was supposed to report to the Minister. The Minister for Social Protection was to receive a report from the working group by quarter 3 of last year. As of 27 February, the Minister had not received the report. Has that work been concluded? Is the report somewhere? Have I missed it?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The report on----

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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An interdepartmental committee was set up on this.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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On carers?

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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On this.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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On carers.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I ask the Minister to clarify the position for me.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I will clarify it for the Deputy after the debate. We are looking at everything. I will not accept the contention that we do not value carers. We absolutely do value them. We have shown through a number of initiatives in recent years that we do so. There have been initiatives in successive budgets and contributions around income disregards and the carer's support payment. We have introduced insurable credits. That shows that people who have cared over many years can now get a contributory State pension, something they could not do before the introduction of that measure.

I will revert to the Deputy on the report. We had engagement with carers' organisations yesterday on their agendas, not just in the social protection space but across other Departments. We will work with colleagues across Government on carers to improve their lives. I value each and every one of them, not just for the what they are doing for the State but for communities around the country, their families and the people they care for. While I have the privilege of being a Minister for Social Protection, I will work to ensure that our Department does everything it can to protect and engage with carers. We will have direct engagement with carers from all over the country in the carers forum during May.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I understand there was a review of the carer's allowance.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I will come back to the Deputy on that.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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My concern in regard to carer's allowance is the fact that the population is aging. Thankfully, people are living longer. The last census showed 832,000 people aged over 65 living in the country. Within the next four years, that figure will reach 1 million. The cost of nursing home care is at least €1,100 per person per week. Regarding long-term planning for the carer's allowance, it is important that we plan not just for today or tomorrow but for the next five to ten years. How proactive is the Department in looking at that plan and the number of people who will require care? The figure will increase dramatically over the next five to ten years.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy raises a very important point. My Department's focus is on improving the income supports that are being made available to carers and improving the support that we as a Department can give to them. In terms of our aging population, we have to work with our colleagues in the Department of Health to ensure that we align all of our plans in this space. That is something I am more than happy to work on with the Minister for Health, Deputy Caroll MacNeill, in terms of a shared approach by both Departments. That would be a very worthy endeavour.

In our Department, we have carer's information. The Department of Health has information on needs, as the Deputy will know from his time in that Department, in terms of the health needs of the aging population and what will need. It would be very beneficial for both of us to work together in this space.