Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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326. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding respite care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25504/14]

Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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335. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason the respite care grant is only awarded to persons in receipt of carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance or prescribed relative's allowance on the first Thursday of June each year; her views that this is very unfair on persons who may have been in receipt of these payments but the person they were caring for passed away in the period leading up to the first Thursday in June and are therefore no longer entitled to the respite care grant yet the grant will still be awarded to someone who passes away in the period immediately after the first Thursday; if she will introduce a phased payment of the grant for those who pass away in the period leading up to this time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25627/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 326 and 335 together.

The Respite Care Grant (RCG) is an annual payment of €1,375 for carers who look after certain people in need of full-time care and attention. The payment is made regardless of the carer's means but is subject to certain conditions, one of which is that the period of full-time care and attention must last for at least six months (which must include the first Thursday in June when the payment is made automatically to recipients of carer’s allowance/benefit and domiciliary care allowance). I think this condition is reasonable and I have no plans to make any changes in this regard.

I would point out that in the case of bereavement the Department already recognises the financial difficulties arising at this time for carers as payment of carer's benefit/ allowance continues to be made for a period of 6 weeks after the date of death of the care recipient.

I am pleased to confirm that payment of the RCG for 2014 has commenced, with automatic payments issuing to over 70,000 DSP clients earlier this month at an estimated cost of €122 million for the full year in 2014. Of course, there is no conditionality attached to how the RCG is utilised, so carers can use the grant as they wish.

I should also mention that the RCG, with no requirement to satisfy a means test, is not available for any other social welfare group nor indeed is there an equivalent payment for carers in any other country in Europe.

While I am not in a position to increase the amount of the RCG, I would point out that in relation to income supports for carers generally, expenditure on such supports has increased from €773m in 2012 to an estimated €806m in 2014. The number of people in receipt of carer’s allowance over the past decade has also increased from 23,000 to over 57,000

Responsibility for providing respite care facilities and services rests with the HSE.