Written answers

Thursday, 26 May 2011

Department of Social Protection

Community Employment Schemes

11:00 am

Photo of Jack WallJack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 43: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will give consideration to carers who are seeking to improve their skills and educational prospects by allowing them to apply for community employment schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13161/11]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The rules governing Carer's Allowance include the following conditions for receipt of the payment:

The Carer must: · be aged 18 or over; · satisfy a means test; · be living with the person s/he is looking after, or be in a position to provide full time care and attention to a person who is not living with him/her; · be caring for the person on a full-time basis; · not be employed or self-employed outside the home for more than 15 hours per week; · not be living in a hospital, convalescent home or other similar institution; · be fit to care. Community Employment (CE) involves working a 191⁄2 hour week, therefore, by taking up a CE position a Carer would breach several of the above conditions for retention of the carer's allowance, which would cause the payment to cease. When a person's caring responsibilities do cease, s/he can transfer to another CE qualifying social welfare payment such as jobseeker's allowance and have his/her time spent in receipt of carer's allowance counted towards the CE qualifying period which is generally 12 months in addition to time spent on his/her new payment.

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