Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 31: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will increase child benefit and change to weekly rather than monthly payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30966/05]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 65: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has considered or will consider index-linking child benefit payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30835/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 220: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if substantial child benefit increases will be provided in the context of the estimates for his Department and budget 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31262/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 65 and 220 together.

Child benefit is the principal means of providing support to families with children in Ireland. It is neutral vis-À-vis the employment status of the child's parents and maximises choice for parents. Child benefit is paid monthly in advance to over 530,000 families is respect of over 1,020,000 children.

Child benefit rates now stand at €141.60 per month for each of the first two children and to €177.30 per month for the third and each subsequent child. Over the period since 1997, monthly rates of child benefit have increased by €103.51 at the lower rate and €127.78 at the higher rate, increases of 272% and 258%, respectively. In the same period the consumer price index has increased by 31%. Therefore this Government has delivered increases in child benefit well in excess of that which price indexation would provide.

At present there are no plans to move child benefit to a weekly payment. It should be noted that child benefit is paid in advance and if payments were made on a weekly basis the recipient would receive most payments at a later date than is now the case. A move to weekly payments would also have significant administrative implications, including additional costs. Any child benefit rate increase would have to be considered in a budgetary context and in the light of competing priorities, and of broader social policy reforms.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 32: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on the statement by the Carer's Association that some children are leaving school semi-literate and without the same social skills as their peers due to the fact that they are minding elderly, disabled or addicted parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30850/05]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 34: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has intentions to change the dual eligibility rule for persons in receipt of the carers allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30857/05]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has received a copy of the Carer's Association national policy document, Towards a Family Carer's Strategy; his views on its main findings; if he will draw on this document when formulating a national strategy for carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30932/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on extending the carer's allowance to a greater number of carer's thereby saving the State considerably in financial terms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30967/05]

Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 91: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will develop, finance, and put in place a national strategy for carers, and give full recognition to their role as an integral part of the health services; if adequate supports for the 150,000 family carers here will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30930/05]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps he has taken or plans to take to implement the recommendations contained in the report of the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs, the Position of Full Time Carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30931/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 219: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of carers currently in receipt of a payment and the extent to which he will increase the number of recipients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31261/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 34, 49, 51, 91, 97 and 219 together.

According to census 2002, there are 48,500 people providing personal care for over four hours per day. Almost 25,450 of these are in receipt of either carer's allowance or carer's benefit. This means that over 52% 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.

Supporting carers in our society has been a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced.

The report of the joint Oireachtas committee, which I examined when it was published last year, makes a range of recommendations, many of which relate to my Department and a number of which concern the Department of Health and Children. In response to the committee, which stated that the greatest need identified by family carers is the need for a break from caring, I made provision in budget 2005 to improve and extend the respite care grant in the following ways.

From June this year, in accordance with the Government's commitment in our programme for Government to introduce significant increases in the value of the respite care grant, I increased the amount of the grant from €835 to €1,000 annually. 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 regardless of their means. This means that the respite care grant is now paid to persons providing full-time care but who are on another social welfare payment, excluding unemployment assistance and benefit. It is also paid to carers who do not currently receive a weekly social welfare payment from my Department. The grant continues to be paid automatically to those who are in receipt of carer's payments. My third improvement to the respite care grant was to pay a grant in respect of each person receiving care. This means that a carer who is providing care for more than two people receives a grant in respect of each person for whom she-he is caring. Previously a maximum of two grants was paid. I have done this to recognise the particular challenges, which are faced by carers who are caring for several people.

To date, over 30,000 respite care grants have been paid by my Department and applications for the grant continue to be received in my Department. Another of the committee's recommendations which relates to my Department is to pay 505 of the carer's allowance to recipients of widows and widowers pensions who are providing care for an older person or a person with a disability. The Deputy will be aware that 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 so as to ensure that resources are not used to make two income support payments to any one person. However, in light of the representations made to me and my own commitment to the cause of carers I intend to keep this issue under regular review.

With regard to the Carer's Association's, Towards a Family Carer's Strategy, I had the pleasure last May of launching this document. The strategy is a focused document with very clear objectives and actions. These objectives and actions cover a range of areas and Departments, including income support and health related issues. I was particularly interested in the views expressed in the strategy in relation to encouraging carers to participate in the labour force. As I have previously mentioned in the House, my officials have been examining proposals regarding care sharing. I am delighted to be in a position to inform the Deputies that care-sharing situations can now be accommodated on the carer's allowance scheme.

This measure allows two carers who are providing full-time care on a part-time basis in an established pattern to share the carer's allowance income support payment and the annual respite care grant. Both carers will receive the household benefits package of free schemes.

My Department can also accommodate the carer who is providing care on a part-time basis, say on alternate weeks and where the care recipient attends a residential institution every other week. All of the usual qualifying conditions for carer's allowance will apply to carers availing of these arrangements. This increased flexibility in the carer's allowance scheme will allow carers to combine the provision of care to a person who requires full-time care and attention and participation in the labour force.

The Carer's Association, in its strategy, also calls for special help, advice and support for young carers who are caring for a parent and in particular, it is seeking essential supports to ensure that young carers remain at school. I was most concerned to learn that some school-going children may be in this position and I accept that this is an issue which needs to be examined. However, as the Deputies are aware, my Department's role in the area of care is the payment of weekly income support payments to full-time carers. My colleagues in the Department of Health and Children may be better placed to address the issues relating to such carers.

I have mentioned in the House before that a long-term care working group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and comprising senior officials from the Departments of Finance, Health and Children and Social and Family Affairs is due to report to the Tánaiste and to me shortly. The objective of this group is to identify the policy options for a financially sustainable system of long-term care, taking account of the Mercer report, the views of the consultation that was undertaken on that report and the review of the nursing home subvention scheme by Eamon O'Shea. The issues raised in the Carer's Association's strategy will also be included in the group's deliberations.

I am always prepared to consider changes to existing arrangements where these are for the benefit of recipients and financially sustainable within the resources available to me. Those recommendations involving additional expenditure will be considered in a budgetary context. I will continue to review the issues raised by the Carer's Association, the joint Oireachtas committee and other bodies representing carers.