Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the way and when he will increase eligibility for the carer's allowance. [26273/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 345: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the extent to which he plans to re-evaluate the carers allowance with a view to extending payments to a greater number of carers thereby achieving a reduction in institutional care and good value for money; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26641/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 346: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the extent to which he will expand the carers allowance in the coming year with particular reference to the need to provide payments to all persons providing care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26642/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 128, 345 and 346 together.

Supporting and recognising carers in our society is, and 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 and extended.

Most recently, significant reforms came into force, which allow people in receipt of certain other social welfare payments, who are also providing full time care and attention to a person, to retain their main welfare payment and receive another payment, depending on their means. The maximum payment will be the equivalent of a half rate carer's allowance.

Carer's allowance, in line with other social assistance schemes, is means tested. This ensures that scarce resources are directed at those in greatest need. The means test has been significantly eased over the years, most notably with regard to spouse's earnings. Budget 2007, provided for an income disregard for a couple of €640 per week. This ensures that a couple can earn in the region of €36,000 per annum and still receive the maximum rate of carer's allowance and the associated free travel and household benefits. This measure surpasses the "Towards 2016" commitment to ensure that those on average industrial earnings continue to qualify for a full carer's allowance. In addition, the rates of carer's allowance have been increased to €200 per week for those aged under 66 and to €218 per week for those aged over 66.

One of the fundamental qualifying conditions for carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the respite care grant is that the person be providing full-time care and attention to a person who needs such care. The number of hours a person may engage in employment, self employment, training or education outside the home and still be considered to be providing full-time care and attention for the purposes of the schemes was increased from 10 to 15 hours per week in June 2006.

In Budget 2006, the duration of carer's benefit was extended from 15 to 24 months. The associated carer's leave scheme was extended in the same manner. In Budget 2005, the respite care grant was extended to all people providing full time care and attention regardless of their means or social insurance contributions. In addition, since June 2005, the respite care grant is payable in respect of each care recipient. I will keep the supports for carers available from my Department under review in order to continue to improve the schemes and ensure that commitments in relation to income support are delivered.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action being taken to improve the information available to the public on entitlements in other EU countries in view of the increase in the mobility of welfare and State pension recipients across the EU. [26287/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides a range of information on social welfare entitlements aimed and people moving to and from Ireland. A combination of information is available from the Departmental website, printed material and directly from staff.

The Departmental website, www.welfare.ie, provides a multi-lingual guide to Irish Social Welfare Services as well as information on entitlements of the customer if they choose to move to another EU Member State. The site also provides links to websites of other countries, and to information sites such as EUlisses. EUlisses is in the process of being developed by the EU commission, and is a guide to social security in Europe for people who have lived or worked in another member state. It is designed to help people understand how they are protected when they go to work, take up residence, or simply stay temporarily in another member state. My department is co-operating fully with the provision of information for the EUlisses website.

In 2005, my Department published EU Guidelines on its website, which provides an in-depth, user friendly guide to EU Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72. These Regulations govern the social security rights of people living and working in the EU by co-ordinating the rights of migrant workers moving within the European Union. These Guidelines are also available, upon request, in hardcopy.

In addition, my Department is currently in the process of creating a Guide entitled "Your Social Security Rights in Ireland", which aims to provide the same information as the Guidelines already mentioned, will be available in multi-lingual hardcopy form, as well as on our website, and is specific to social security rights of persons coming to Ireland. It is anticipated that the Guide will be published by the end of this year.

My Department's Information Services Unit provides core funding each year to the "Emigrant Advice" organisation which is an information, advocacy and referral organisation for vulnerable migrants. As part of its range of services Emigrant Advice provides information to people intending to emigrate from Ireland to other countries, including other EU Member States. Emigrant Advice has published a practical guide entitled "Thinking of Going to the UK", and they continue to provide information services at its premises in Cathedral Street, Dublin 1, over the telephone and via its website.

The Citizens Information Board, one of my Department's agencies, is the national agency responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice and advocacy on social services. The Board provides general information for people leaving Ireland on claiming social security within the EU and also provides the equivalent information for people moving to Ireland. This information is provided on the Board's public service website www.citizensinformation.ie and can also be accessed by members of the public who telephone the Citizens Information Phone Service or who call into one of the Citizens Information Centres located around the country. Finally, if a person is in receipt of a social welfare benefit from my Department, and decides to go abroad for whatever reason, they will be given expert advice on the possibility of exporting that benefit, by staff in their Social Welfare Local Office, upon notifying them of their intention to move abroad.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the rationale for the policy of backdating valid late claims to six months only; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26284/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The legislative provisions relating to late claims for social welfare benefits are set out in Section 241 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, and in Regulations made under that section. These provisions set out the times within which a person must claim, the disqualifications which apply where a claim is made late, and the circumstances in which the time limits may be extended.

Since 1997 a number of improvements have been made to the provision relating to late claims for social welfare payments. For example, prior to 1997 arrears of state pension contributory claims were limited to either three months or six months before the date of claim. Regulations made in 2000 put certain extra-statutory provisions that had applied in the case of late claims under certain schemes on a statutory basis. All late claims are now determined in accordance with the legislation.

The legislation also provides for payment to be made on foot of late claims in the case of a range of other schemes for a period of 6 months prior to the date of claim provided there was good cause for the late claim. The legislation now also provides for relaxation of the restrictions on backdating late claims under all schemes apart from Unemployment Benefit, Unemployment Assistance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance, and for further payment to be made, up to the level of full retrospection where the circumstances would warrant it, where:

the delay was due to incorrect information having been given by my Department, or

illness or a force majeure prevented a person from claiming earlier or,

the person is dependent on the arrears of payment to relieve financial hardship.

It is generally accepted that there is an obligation on people to claim their social welfare entitlements in time. However, cases will inevitably arise where they fail to do so and the legislative provisions are designed to cater for such situations. I am satisfied that the current provisions strike a reasonable balance between, on the one hand the need to exercise supervision and control of claims and the requirements of sound financial management and control of public expenditure and, on the other hand, the need for appropriate recognition to be given to cases of genuine hardship or difficulty.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action he will take in relation to the cap on rent supplement in view of the considerable increase in the cost of renting in 2007; his views on amending the qualification criteria in order that qualification is based on a means test rather than on holding a social welfare payment; the projected expenditure on rent supplement in 2007 and in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26268/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In January 2007 my Department completed a comprehensive review of the maximum levels of rent which a person may incur and still be eligible to receive a rent supplement. The purpose of the review process was to ensure that the new rent limits, applicable from January 2007, reflect realistic market conditions throughout the country, and that they would continue to enable the different categories of eligible tenant households to secure and retain basic suitable rented accommodation to meet their respective needs. The existing limits are applicable from January 2007 until 30th June 2008.

Setting maximum rent limits higher than are justified by the open market would have a distorting effect on the rental market, leading to a more general rise in rent levels. This in turn would worsen the affordability of rental accommodation unnecessarily, with particular negative impact for those tenants on lower incomes.

There are currently over 58,700 rent supplements in payment of which 23,819 have been awarded since the current rent limits were set in January 2007. These statistics show that rented accommodation is available within the current rent limits. I intend to have all limits reviewed next year and any revision found to be necessary will be implemented from 1st July 2008.

Notwithstanding these limits, under existing arrangements the Health Service Executive may, in certain circumstances, exceed the rent levels as an exceptional measure, for example:

where the person concerned is entitled to an income disregard AND has sufficient income to meet his or her basic needs after paying rent, taking into account the appropriate rate of rent supplement that is otherwise payable in the case

where there are special housing needs related to exceptional circumstances, for example, disabled persons in specially-adapted accommodation or homeless persons,

where the tenant will be in a position to re-assume responsibility for his/her rent within a short period

This discretionary power ensures that individuals with particular needs can be accommodated within the scheme and specifically protects against homelessness.

The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The scheme is targeted at those most disadvantaged in society and for that reason, those qualifying for the payment are primarily dependent on a social welfare or health service executive (HSE) payment as their main source of income.

Improvements to the means test for rent supplement have been made in recent years to encourage recipients of rent supplement to engage in employment without losing all of their rent supplement. Furthermore, people who are accepted by local authorities as eligible for the Rental Accommodation Scheme may take up full-time employment and still receive rent supplement, subject to the standard means test.

I am satisfied that the scheme is currently being targeted at those who most need support. I do not consider that any further change to the existing qualifying criteria is warranted at this point in time. The projected expenditure for rent supplement for 2007 and 2008 is estimated at €392 million and €410 million respectively.