Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 57: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he is considering changing the dual eligibility rule for persons in receipt of the carer's allowance, for example, a person who has been in receipt of the carer's allowance and who qualifies for the old age pension but only receives one social welfare payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17184/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of carers currently in receipt of a payment; the number of applications received in the past two years; the number approved, rejected and pending; if he will consider extending the scheme to a wider group in view of the number of persons now caring for others and not in receipt of a payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17129/05]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reforms he has recently introduced to the annual grant for full-time carers of older or disabled persons; if he proposes to introduce further reforms or benefits for payments to carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17123/05]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 126: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has received a copy of the recently launched national carers strategy by the National Carers Association; if he has plans to review the payment system for carers in order that they receive the same salary as health workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17119/05]

Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)
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Question 246: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will review the respite care grant in order that parents who provide full-time care for a special needs child by sharing the caring and who both work part-time for more than ten hours per week outside the home will qualify for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17025/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 258: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his proposals to improve the qualifying conditions for the carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17430/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 259: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the potential costs of extending the carer's allowance to an extra 5,000 carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17431/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 260: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will consider an extension of the carer's allowance to all persons providing full-time care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17432/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 57, 104, 113, 126, 246 and 258 to 260, inclusive, together.

The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to people who are providing certain elderly or incapacitated persons with full-time care and attention and whose incomes fall below a certain limit. The primary objective of the social welfare system is to provide income support and, as a general rule, only one weekly social welfare payment is payable to an individual. This ensures resources are not used to make two income support payments to any one person. Persons qualifying for two social welfare payments always receive the higher payment to which they are entitled. Any changes would involve additional expenditure which could only be considered in a budgetary context. However, I continue to carefully examine the issue as part of an ongoing review of supports for carers.

The overall number of persons receiving a carer's allowance at week ending 13 May 2005 was 23,307. A total of 15,050 claims were received during 2003 and 2004; 9,740 of these claims were awarded and 4,040 were refused. Approximately 1,000 claims were on hand at the end of 2004. The balance of claims was withdrawn. In addition, there are 711 carer's benefit claims in payment and a further 1,839 claims that were previously in payment have been closed for a number of reasons, such as the carer is no longer providing care.

It is estimated that the annual gross cost of extending the carer's allowance to an additional 5,000 carers and giving them the full package of free schemes would be in the region of €48 million annually. However, there would be some savings where these additional carers may currently be in receipt of another payment from my Department and may already be in receipt of the free schemes.

I introduced a number of improvements for carers in the last budget which will benefit existing recipients of carer's payments and will also serve to extend support to carers who are not eligible for carer's payments. The most significant of these relates to the respite care grant. I have made provision for increasing the respite care grant to €1,000 and the extension of it to all persons providing full-time care and attention, regardless of their means. This means the respite care grant will now be paid to persons providing full-time care but who are on another social welfare payment, excluding unemployment assistance and benefit. It will also be paid to carers who do not currently receive a weekly social welfare payment from my Department. The grant will continue to be paid automatically to those who are in receipt of carer's payments.

This arrangement is being introduced to recognise the valuable role of carers and to acknowledge the needs of carers, especially for respite care. It is estimated that, overall, almost 33,000 carers will receive a respite care grant in June. As this is the first year of this new extended grant, I will keep it under review, particularly with regard to the qualification conditions.

With regard to the Carers Association's national strategy, I presume the Deputy is referring to the document, Towards a Family Carers Strategy. I am honoured that the Carers Association has invited me to officially launch this document next Monday. I am particularly interested in the views expressed in the strategy about encouraging carers to participate in the labour force. My officials are currently examining proposals regarding care sharing. The details are still being teased out but I hope to be in a position to make progress this year. I am always prepared to consider changes to existing arrangements and, in this context, I will continue to review the issues raised by the Carers Association and other bodies representing carers.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 58: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the aspects of the National Women's Council of Ireland's campaign on social welfare which he supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17136/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I recently met representatives of the National Women's Council of Ireland to discuss their proposals for reform of the social welfare system so as to better reflect the position of women. The comprehensive set of proposals are based on research commissioned by the council and entitled "A Woman's Model of Social Welfare Reform". It was not possible to deal directly with all aspects of the report but I indicated to the council that I shared the view that the social welfare system should reflect to the greatest extent possible the principle of inclusiveness, and that within the resources available I would seek to address the priority issues raised within the report.

The council identified three priority areas for reform. These are: the provision of recognition of unpaid care work which tends to be undertaken largely by women; the recognition that women's participation in the labour market can often be on the basis of atypical employment which has implications for coverage for social welfare benefits; the issue of access for older women to pension payments on an individual basis.

Under the first heading, the council addressed issues relating to maternity benefit and carer's allowance. The maternity benefit scheme has been significantly improved over the past four years, in terms of both the duration of payment and the level at which it is paid. The means test for the carer's allowance has been eased significantly in the past few years, notably with the introduction of a substantial disregard of spouses' earnings.

With regard to atypical employment, the council put forward arguments for a new part-time unemployment payment and reforms to the legislation dealing with relatives assisting in family businesses. My Department is examining the issues relating to a part-time unemployment payment and how the information on treatment of family employments under the social insurance system could be improved.

As regards older women and pension rights, I indicated that both the programme for Government and Sustaining Progress include a commitment to increase the payment for qualified adults aged 66 years or over to the same level as the personal rate of the old age non-contributory pension. More generally a significant number of the proposals put forward by the council are already being closely examined and actively considered by my Department.

I indicated to the National Women's Council of Ireland that I would consider seriously practical proposals that would lead to more equitable treatment of women within the social welfare system.