Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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11. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of paying carers who care for two or more people, based on a full carer’s allowance in respect of each person, not a half-rate for a second person. [31340/26]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Wall for his question.

The Government recognises the important and valuable role of family carers and we - myself in particular - are committed to continuing to improve the supports available to them.

Carer's allowance provides a personal rate for the carer with additional increases for child dependants. If the carer is providing full-time care to more than one person, the rate payable is increased by 50% of the standard personal rate. As part of budget 2026, the personal rate of carer's allowance increased by €10 per week. A person caring for more than one person and receiving the maximum rate now receives a personal rate of €405 per week if aged under 66 or €462 per week if aged 66 or over.

An accurate estimate of the full year cost of paying carers who care for two or more people with a full carer’s allowance in respect of each person, as requested by the Deputy, is not currently available. However, I have asked for that to be prepared and I will forward the same to the Deputy.

Carer's benefit also provides an enhanced payment where care is provided to more than one person. The weekly personal rate of payment increased to €271 where a person is caring for one person and €406.50 where two or more people are being cared for. The annual carer's support grant is available to all carers providing full-time care regardless of their means. Last June, this grant was increased by €150 to €2,000 - the highest ever level. Domiciliary care allowance is payable to a parent or guardian of a child under 16 with a severe disability. Where a person is caring for more than one child, they may claim the allowance for each child. There is no restriction on the number of children being claimed for.

The programme for Government commits to examining how best to support carers who are providing full-time care and attention to more than one person. This work will continue to be advanced over the lifetime of the Government, taking account of available resources and the broader budgetary context. However, in line with the views expressed to me by carers and carer associations, my first priority will be the removal of the means test.

Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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I thank the Minister for that. Yesterday, myself and a number of colleagues in the House this morning attended the Family Carers Ireland briefing scorecard for 2025 in respect of the Government. The big issue that arose for many of us at that briefing was that the Government needs to listen and to listen more.

The organisation appreciated the change in the means test. Obviously, many of people there said it needed to be abolished but the problem for many of them is two- or threefold. Many people who were present yesterday were caring for a second loved one and the costs do not diminish when you have a second child but they actually increase. The Minister said there is a commitment in the programme for Government to review this but we still do not have a costing on it. Does the Minister know when he may have a costing on it? Is it realistic for it to be in the programme for Government? Is it something the Department is currently looking at?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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We also engage with the carer organisations and we look forward to engaging with them on their work yesterday and at our annual carers' forum, which is being held next week on 7 May. This gives carers and carers' organisations a chance to engage directly with not just myself but also with officials from across the Department and a range of budgets. We also have our pre-budget forum as a Department on 1 July, at which carers will be represented and will be part of.

There are a number of issues and I will pursue the costings as regards the Deputy's proposal, particularly for those carers who provide care for several people. I am determined to abolish the means test during the lifetime of this Government but I am also very aware of existing carers for whom that will not make a difference in their weekly payment and in the supports available. I will be very focused on what we can do for those who are on the existing payment regarding providing extra supports for them in their very important work.

Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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I thank the Minister for that. Regarding what he has just said on providing additional supports, in parliamentary questions I tabled to the Minister, it came to light that only 4.4% of those who were in receipt of carer's allowance were getting fuel allowance, which is a very low figure. Some 106,000 people in this country are getting carer's allowance and only short of 6,000 of those are in receipt of fuel allowance. We have been told time and again, and we were told this again yesterday, that bills for those looking after their loved ones are three times higher than those who may not have to look after loved ones. Can the Minister look at something like that for them? The costing we have on it is around €107 million but the cost involved, and we are in the middle of a fuel crisis as has already been said this morning, would make a difference to so many. The Minister knows the cost of heating, the cost of using a washing machine, etc., when you have somebody who needs that level of care. It would make a huge difference on a weekly basis.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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That is a very sensible proposal and those who care depend on heat and very high energy usage in terms of washing machines, tumble dryers, electrical equipment, beds, etc. I will look at that and see what the reason is. We introduced carers as a qualifying payment for fuel allowance a number of years ago. We will do some work to make sure those who are supposed to get it are getting it.

As I said, this year we expanded the fuel allowance to those on the working family payment but, obviously, anything we do has to be done within a very strict budget envelope and there are many priorities. However, I can assure the Deputy and the carers organisations - we will spend a day engaging with them next week - that their work is valued by the Government and by myself and we will certainly try to look at the schemes we can do, not just removing the means test for potential carers but also for those on existing carers payments.