Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will change the amount of hours a carer is permitted to work per week and be eligible for the carers allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32257/07]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 84: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on permitting carers on the back to work allowance to claim the half rate of carers allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32258/07]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 86: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his proposals to extend carer payments to persons in part-time or slightly removed care situations. [32179/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 80, 84 and 86 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.

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 September 2007, significant reforms came into force whereby people in receipt of certain social welfare payments other than carer's allowance or benefit, who are providing someone with full time care and attention, can retain their main payment and receive another payment, depending on their means, the maximum of which will be equivalent to a half rate carer's allowance.

These new arrangements apply to people receiving weekly social welfare payments (other than recipients of jobseeker's allowance or benefit, back to work allowance or those signing for jobseekers credits) and people in receipt of a qualified adult allowance. This is in line with the arrangements which have applied to receipt of the respite care grant since its extension in 2005.

In order to qualify for payment under these new arrangements, people must satisfy the qualifying conditions for carer's allowance, including the full time care and attention requirement. Recipients of back to work allowance must engage in a minimum of 20 hours work per week and so they do not satisfy the full time care and attention requirement for carer's allowance.

In 2005, the carer's allowance scheme was extended to accommodate care-sharing situations. Under these arrangements, it is possible for week-on week-off care sharing arrangements to be facilitated. This means that where two carers are providing care to the same person on alternate weeks the carer's allowance and the annual respite care grant can be split between them.

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.