John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, there are exceptions everywhere. Senator Moran has just mentioned an exceptional case and I would be very happy to pass on the details of same to the Minister. The challenge for the Government is to deal with exceptional cases effectively and I am sure the Minister will examine the case referred to.

Persons who are in receipt of this allowance also receive the annual respite care grant of €1,375, the household benefits package and the free travel pass.

Where a child under the age of 16 requires full-time care and attention, a domiciliary care allowance of €309.50 per month may be paid to the parent or guardian. This payment is not means-tested and is to provide for the additional costs involved in providing care and supervision that is substantially more than that normally needed by a child of the same age. The parents may also be in receipt of the carer's allowance. People in receipt of a social welfare payment, other than carer's allowance or benefit, who are also providing someone with full-time care and attention, can retain their main welfare payment and receive a half rate carer's allowance. Similarly, people currently in receipt of a carer's allowance who may have an underlying eligibility for another social welfare payment, can transfer to that other payment and continue to receive up to a half rate carer's allowance.

The estimated expenditure on carers in the Department of Social Protection in 2014 will be almost €806 million, made up of €557.2 million on the carer's allowance, €21.5 million on carer's benefit, €122 million on the respite care grant and €105.1 million on the domiciliary care allowance.

The Department is guided by the strategic direction of the national carers' strategy and is committed to the goals and specific objectives identified in the strategy. The strategy recognises that the financial resources available to the Government during the lifetime of the strategy will reduce and that this will mean focusing expenditure on those who need it most and who will benefit most from services and supports. In framing budgetary adjustments, the primary concern has been to protect primary social welfare rates, and against that backdrop, I was pleased that in the 2014 budget, the core rates of payments available to carers were maintained, as were payments made in addition to other social welfare payments, such as the half-rate carer's allowance.

I mentioned exceptions and the derogations. There is a very complicated mechanism for payments, with entitlements and eligibility and switching from one payment to another one. Getting all the information together, visiting the social welfare office and going through how best a person can avail of the payments can be very worthwhile.