Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 287: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will abolish the means test for carers; and if he will examine other ways to assist carers and their families. [31132/06]

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 elderly or incapacitated persons with full time care and attention and whose incomes fall below a certain limit.

In line with other social assistance schemes, a means test is applied to the carer's allowance so as to ensure that limited resources are directed to those in greatest need. This means test has been eased significantly over the years Following Budget 2006, since April, the earnings disregard for a couple is currently set at €580 per week which is just at the level of gross average industrial earnings. This means that a couple with two children can earn up to €32,925 per annum and still receive the maximum rate of carer's allowance as well as the free travel, the household benefits package and the respite care grant. In accordance with the new social partnership agreement, towards 2016, I am committed to expanding, subject to available resources, the income limits for carer's allowance and aiming to keep the level of the disregard in line with average industrial earnings.

In Budget 2006, I provided for a significant increase in the rate of carer's allowance. From January this year, the rate of carer's allowance increased to €200 per week for carers aged 66 years and over.

Complete abolition of the means test for carer's allowance would cost an estimated €140 million in a full year. The view of some support organisations is that if this level of resources were available, it would be more beneficial to carers if it were invested in further increases to carers allowance and in the type of community care services which would support them in their caring role, such as additional respite care facilities, more home helps, public health nurses and other such services.

In addition, from June 2005, the annual respite care grant was extended to all carers who are providing full time care to a person who needs such care regardless of their income. Those persons in receipt of other social welfare payments, excluding unemployment assistance and benefit, are entitled to this payment subject to meeting the full time care condition. This arrangement was introduced to acknowledge the needs of carers especially in relation to respite. Provision was made in Budget 2006 to increase the amount of the respite care grant from €1,000 to €1,200.

I have introduced several improvements to payments from my Department in order to facilitate carers who wish to engage in employment, education or training. From 1 June this year, I increased the number of hours a person can engage in employment, self-employment, training or education outside the home and still satisfy the qualifying conditions for payment, from 10 to 15 hours per week.

In addition, in Budget 2006 I increased the length of time for which a person can claim carer's benefit from 65 to 104 weeks. The duration of the associated carer's leave scheme has also been extended to 2 years.

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 can only be considered in a budgetary context.