Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 338: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans regarding the proposed introduction of a household waste collection voucher scheme for all who qualify for a fuel allowance payment, for all senior citizens on low incomes and all deserving cases on assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19514/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The setting of waste management charges and the introduction of waivers in respect of waste charges is, as stated by my colleague the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, a matter for each local authority.

The introduction of a national social welfare scheme to address the issue would be complex given the wide range of charging regimes and cost structures that exist in respect of waste management throughout the State. Any system put in place to assist people who rely on private domestic waste collection would have to be sensitive to the different local arrangements.

I have no plans at the present time to introduce a scheme to address this issue.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 339: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on relaxing the qualification criteria surrounding the respite grant to allow those who are not providing care on the first Thursday in June 2006 but have provided full time care for a large part of the previous year to qualify for a reduced payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19640/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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All carers who are in receipt of carer's allowance, carer's benefit, prescribed relative allowance or constant attendance allowance on the first Thursday in June will automatically receive the respite care grant without having to apply for it. Similarly, carers who are in receipt of domiciliary care allowance from the Health Service Executive will automatically receive the respite care grant from the HSE.

The respite care grant was extended in 2005. Carers who do not qualify for the grant under one of the above schemes may now receive the grant if the following conditions are met: the carer must be providing full time care to a person who is in need of such care for at least 6 months. This period of care must include the first Thursday in June, and as is the case with recipients of carers allowance, a full time carer must not be engaged in employment for more than 10 hours per week (this will increase to 15 hours for the purposes of the 2006 grant).

Provision was made in Budget 2006 to increase the amount of the grant from €1,000 to €1,200 in respect of each care recipient and, as already mentioned, to increase the number of hours that a recipient of the grant may work from 10 to 15 hours per week.

Among the proposals in the "First Report on the Position of Full-Time Carers" produced by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social and Family Affairs was that the condition that the period of care must include the first Thursday in June should be abolished. All support schemes for carers, including the respite care grant will be kept under review and further possible improvements will be considered in a budgetary context.