David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 441: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the estimated cost of the carer's allowance if the carer's means were individually assessed for the payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14287/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to people who are providing certain older people or people with a disability with full-time care and attention and whose incomes fall below a certain limit. In the course of the carer's allowance means test, account is taken of the claimant's own means and, in the case of a couple, the joint means are assessed. An assumption is made that both members of a couple benefit from the earnings of one or both of them. In this regard, recipients of carer's allowance are treated in the same way as recipients of all other social assistance payments. This ensures that resources are directed to those in greatest need.

The carer's allowance means test has been eased significantly in the past few years, most notably with the introduction of disregards of spouses' earnings. Provision was made in budget 2006 to increase the income disregard on the carer's allowance means test to €290 per week for a single person and to €580 per week for a couple from April this year. This ensures that a couple with two children can earn up to €32,925 per annum and still receive the maximum rate of carer's allowance. The same couple may earn up to €54,400 and receive the minimum rate of carer's allowance as well as the free travel, the household benefits package and the respite care grant.

At the end of 2005, there were 24,981 carer's allowances in payment. Of these, almost 91% were in payment at the maximum rate and 9% at reduced rates. The additional cost of paying the maximum rate to those carers who currently receive a reduced rate is estimated to be in the region of €11 million annually. However, there would be considerable knock on effects as such an approach could effectively abolish the means test. 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.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 442: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason unemployed people are not given the opportunity to apply for the position of census enumerator; and if it is confined only to retired public servants. [14343/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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It was open to unemployed persons to apply for the position of census enumerator with the Central Statistics Office if they wished to do so. The matter of recruiting census enumerators is more appropriate to the Department of the Taoiseach.