Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 178: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the extent to which she will extend the qualification guidelines for carers who are benefiting the taxpayer to the extent of providing community based service that otherwise would require institutional care or hospitalisation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34742/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 415: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the extent to which she proposes to ease the qualification criteria for the carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35021/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 417: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will improve or ease the qualification guidelines for respite care grants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35023/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 418: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will increase the carer's allowance in order to compensate for increases in the cost of living and the economic downturn; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35024/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 178, 415, 417 and 418 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 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.

In April 2008 the level of the carer's allowance income disregard was increased from €320 to €332.50 per week for a single person and from €640 to €665 per week for a couple. 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.

In Budget 2009 I increased the rate of carer's allowance for those aged 66 or over by €7 per week to €239 per week and the rate of carer's allowance for those aged under 66 by €6.50 from €214 to €220.50 per week. In addition, I increased the rate of carer's benefit by €6.50 from €214.70 to €221.20 per week. These increases will take effect from January 2009.

Budget 2007 provided for new arrangements whereby people can receive a maximum payment of equivalent to a half rate carer's allowance while receiving another social welfare payment other than jobseekers benefit or allowance. These new arrangements came into effect in September 2007 and to date over 14,200 carers have benefited.

In June 2006 the number of hours for which a person can engage in employment, self-employment, education or training and still be considered to be providing full time care for the purposes of carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the respite care grant was increased from 10 to 15 hours per week.

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. In June 2008 the level of the grant increased to €1,700 per year in respect of each care recipient.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 179: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans to address the position of carers and certain companions of bus-pass holders as outlined in a recent social policy report by the Citizens Information Board (details supplied). [34878/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. All carers in receipt of carer's allowance and carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance, regardless of their age, receive a free travel pass. It is also available to people under age 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments, such as disability allowance, invalidity pension and blind person's pension. People from a country covered by EU Regulations, or from a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement, resident in the State, who are in receipt of a social security invalidity or disability payment and who have been in receipt of this payment for at least 12 months, are also eligible for free travel.

The free travel companion pass entitles the pass holder to have any one person, aged 16 years or over, to accompany him/her free of charge when travelling. Such companion passes are available to persons who qualify for free travel and who, on account of their disability, are unable to travel alone.

The main objective of the free travel scheme is to encourage older people and people with disabilities to remain independent and active in the community, thereby reducing the need for institutional care. The purpose of allowing pass holders to be accompanied while travelling is to facilitate further this mobility.

The extension of the scheme to allow the pass holder's companion to travel alone would not be in keeping with this objective.