Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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770. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the supports available for a person caring for a family member for three days each week, thus leaving the person unable to sign for the jobseeker's allowance for the three days in question and not entitled to carer's allowance as the person is in full-time respite care for the remainder of the week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25764/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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My department provides a range of income supports, including carer’s benefit(CB), carer’s allowance(CA), and domiciliary care allowance (DCA,) for those who are providing care, on a full-time basis, to a person who requires such care. There is also an annual carer’s support grant (CSG) of €1,700, which is paid automatically on the first Thursday in June, to those in receipt of these payments. Other carers who are providing full-time care but are not in receipt of CB,CA or DCA may also apply for a CSG which is not means tested.

In order to qualify for carer’s allowance a person must generally reside with and provide full-time care and attention to a person who needs such care. The decision, as to whether a carer is providing full-time care and attention, is made by a deciding officer based on the evidence supplied in each a case. When an application is deemed not to satisfy the full-time care provision, the applicant may request a review of the decision and if still dissatisfied with the outcome may appeal the decision to an independent Appeals Office.

The full-time care provision is relaxed in certain circumstances, for example the carer can work or engage in training provided the aggregate hours in work and/or training does not exceed 15 hours per week.

One of the conditions for receipt of jobseeker’s allowance is that a person must be available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. If a person get part-time or casual work (up to and including 3 days per week), they may still be paid Jobseeker's Allowance for the other days. However, they must show that you are trying to get full-time employment.

In circumstances where a person does not meet either the conditions for carers allowance or for jobseekers allowance, they may apply for supplementary welfare allowance from my department.

I hope that this answers the Deputy’s question.