Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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240. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which she and her Department continue to assess the role of carers with specific reference to the long term impact on families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42153/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Government fully accepts the important role played by carers in society and to acknowledge this, in 2012 the Government published a National Carers’ Strategy - signalling its commitment to recognising and respecting carers as key care partners and to respond to their needs, across a number of policy areas. The Department of Social Protection has committed to a range of actions under the strategy and these relate to recognising the needs of carers through the provision of income supports, enabling carers to have access to respite breaks and enabling carers to remain in touch with the labour market to the greatest extent possible.

The Department’s primary responsibility to carers lies in the provision of income supports. In this regard it should be noted that the financial supports available to carers in Ireland are among the highest rates of income support in Europe. In 2014 the estimated expenditure on carers’ payments is €806 million and this is expected to increase to €822 in 2015.

I fully appreciate the important and difficult role that carers fill and that is why the range of income support measures across the social welfare system is so extensive. In addition to weekly payments of carer's benefit/allowance, carers can avail of an annual respite care grant of €1,375 and continue to receive carer's allowance at half the weekly rate if they are in receipt of another weekly social welfare payment. Carers in receipt of carer's allowance also receive the household benefits package and are entitled to free travel. The means test for carer's allowance is also the most generous in the social welfare system, while a carer can also spend up to 15 hours a week outside the home in employment/education without affecting their entitlement to carer's payment.

I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to keep the range of supports available to carers under review.