Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Question 540: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the improvements since 2004 and proposed improvements in the conditions for carers both in terms of allowances and benefits; the number of carers in County Kildare who have benefited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33774/07]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 545: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when the value for money review of social welfare payments to carers was completed; the value of the saving to the Exchequer generated by the implementation of the conclusions from this report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33794/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 540 and 545 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.

My Department conducted an internal review of payments to carers during the period 2004 to 2006. The review was designed to build on the review of the carer's allowance which was published in 1998 and to develop proposals for improvements in the schemes. The review examined all aspects of carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the respite care grant and made a broad range of proposals covering issues such as the definition of full time care and attention, qualifying conditions for the respite care grant and the operation of the means test for carer's allowance. In recent Budgets many of the review's recommendations especially in the area of introducing more flexibility into current arrangements have been implemented.

In June 2005 the respite care grant was extended to all carers providing full-time care and attention to a person in need of such care regardless of their means or social insurance contributions. Since then the grant has also been paid in respect of each care recipient. The rate of the respite care grant has been increased significantly. In Budget 2008 I provided for an increase of €200 in the level of the grant so that from June 2008 the grant will be €1,700 per year in respect of each care recipient.

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. Budget 2006 increased the number of hours for which a carer can engage in employment, self employment, education or training outside the home and still be considered to be providing full time care and attention from 10 to 15 hours per week. This improvement came into effect in June 2006 and applies to carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the respite care grant. Budget 2006 also provided for the duration of carer's benefit to be increased from 15 to 24 months. A corresponding increase in the duration of carer's leave came into effect from 24 March 2006.

Budget 2007 provided for significant structural reforms to introduce new arrangements whereby people in receipt of a social welfare payment, other than carer's allowance or benefit, who are providing with full-time care and attention, are able to retain their main welfare payment and receive another payment. Depending on their means, the maximum of this payment will be equivalent to a half rate carer's allowance. Similarly, people currently in receipt of a carer's allowance, who may have an underlying eligibility for another social welfare payment, can transfer to that other payment and continue to receive up to a half rate carer's allowance.

These new arrangements, which came into force in September 2007, apply to almost all weekly social welfare payments including state pension contributory and non-contributory; widower's contributory/non-contributory pension and to people in receipt of qualified adult allowances. The new arrangements do not apply to recipients of jobseeker's allowance or benefit given the nature of these payments. This is in line with the arrangements which already applied to receipt of the respite care grant.

The current rate of carer's allowance and carer's benefit is €200 per week for those aged under 66. The rate of carer's allowance for those aged over 66 is €218 per week. As a result of improvements provided for in Budget 2008 all of these rates will increase by €14 per week from January 2008.

From April 2007 the weekly carer's allowance income disregard increased by €30 to €320 for a single carer and by €60 to €640 for a couple. This surpasses the Towards 2016 commitment to ensure that those on average industrial earnings can qualify for the payment. Budget 2008 provided for the disregard to be increased further to €332.50 per week for a single person and €665 per week for a couple from April 2008.

The number of people in County Kildare in receipt of either carer's allowance or carer's benefit has increased by 60 per cent since 2004, from 633 people at the end of 2004 to 1,014 people at present. I will keep supports for carers available from my Department under review in order to continue to improve the schemes and ensure commitments on income support are delivered.