Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 444: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of full-time carers in the country; the number entitled to the respite grant; if he intends to extend the respite grant to all full-time carers; the likely cost of such an initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22167/05]

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 451: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has given further consideration to the all-party request of the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs in order that widows and widowers receive at least 50% of the carer's allowance if they are providing care for elderly or disabled persons in the home; his views on whether persons receiving contributory widow's or widower's pension are entitled to hold down full-time jobs with full pay; if they give full-time service as a carer their rights are ignored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22702/05]

Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 452: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will give a commitment to develop, finance and put in place a national strategy for carers; if he will provide adequate supports for the 150,000 family carers here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22851/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 444, 451 and 452 together.

The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment that 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 widow's and widower's contributory pension is a social insurance payment and is not means-tested. According to census 2002, there are 48,500 people providing personal care for over four hours per day and just over 24,200 of these are in receipt of either carer's allowance or carer's benefit. This means that 50% of the 48,500 carers, as estimated by the CSO to be caring for more than four hours per day, are in receipt of a specific carer's payment from my Department.

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 that resources are not used to make two income support payments to any one person. A number of improvements for carers were announced in the last budget that benefit existing recipients of carer's payments and extend supports to carers who have not previously been eligible for carer's payments. Provision was made for the extension of the respite care grant to all carers who are providing full-time care to a person who needs such care. This is being implemented from June 2005. The extension includes carers who are providing full-time care and who are either in receipt of a social welfare payment, for example, widow's pensions, old age pensions, one-parent family payment, disability benefit and invalidity pension, or those who are not currently receiving a weekly social welfare payment from my Department. The amount of the grant has increased from €835 to €1,000. Provision has also been made to pay a grant in respect of each care recipient. This will benefit those who provide care for a number of people.

It was estimated that the improvements in the conditions applying to the respite care grant will result in an additional 9,200 full-time carers receiving the grant for the first time giving an estimated total of almost 33,000 full-time carers receiving the respite care grant of €1,000 in June this year. The cost of these improvements will be over €13.5 million. I will be building on the progress made and continuing to work with my colleagues in Government to develop the type of co-ordinated services which provide real support and practical assistance to people who devote their time to improving the quality of life for others.