Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 346: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she has held discussions with the Ministers for Finance and Enterprise, Trade and Employment regarding the request of associations (details supplied) that carers would be permitted to compete for community employment scheme positions. [33290/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Since the introduction of the carer's allowance scheme this full time care and attention requirement has been eased in order to facilitate carers in engaging in employment, education or training.

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 was increased from 10 to 15 hours per week in June 2006.

Participation on a community employment scheme involves a placement of 39 hours per fortnight and so carer's payments are not payable to people engaged on community employment schemes.

Although there are no plans to increase the number of hours for which people can engage in employment, education or training outside the home and still be eligible for a carer's payment, the issue of training for carers is being examined in the context of the development of the National Carers Strategy.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 347: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will respond to the campaign of associations (details supplied) for a full disregard of spouse's incomes in the means test for carers or if she will abolish the means test altogether; and if she has held discussions with the Minister for Finance on this matter in the context of Budget 2009. [33291/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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 greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have 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.

Carer's allowance, in line with other social assistance schemes, is means tested. This ensures scarce resources are directed at those in greatest need. The primary objective of the carer's allowance is to provide income support to low income carers. The carer's allowance means test is one of the more flexible tests in terms of the assessment of household incomes. It has been significantly eased over the years, most notably with regard to spouse's earnings.

Increases to the carer's allowance income disregard provided for in Budget 2008 mean that, since April, a single person can have an income of €332.50 per week and a couple can have an income of up to €665 per week and still qualify for the maximum rate of carer's allowance. The previous levels were €320 and €640 per week respectively.

This ensures that a couple can have an income in the region of €37,200 per year and still qualify for the maximum rate of carer's allowance as well as the associated free travel, household benefits package and the respite care grant. This increase surpasses the "Towards 2016" commitment to ensuring that those on average earnings can qualify for carer's allowance.

Budget 2007 provided for new arrangements whereby people can receive a maximum payment equivalent to a half rate carers allowance while receiving another social welfare payment, other than jobseeker's benefit or allowance. To date, over 13,000 carers have benefited from these arrangements.

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. A carer who is caring for two or more people is entitled to a full grant for each of the care recipients. The rate of the grant increased to €1,700 per year from June 2008.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 348: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if community welfare officers may approve an urgent needs or exceptional needs payment for purchase of a car or taxi plate; the circumstance under which this may be done; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33309/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA), which is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, an exceptional needs payment may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which the applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources.

The principal consideration in making a single payment of SWA to address a particular need is that the need to be met must be 'exceptional'. Payments should arise only under abnormal conditions and should not become a regular or standard practice. Thus, an exceptional needs payment should be a single payment to meet an unforeseen and/or special need which cannot be met from a client's basic income.

Eligible people would normally be in receipt of a social welfare or HSE payment. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is determined by the Executive based on the particular circumstances of the case, taking account of the nature and extent of the need.

The expense incurred in purchasing a car or taxi plate is not considered appropriate to the exceptional needs payment provisions of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.