Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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165. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a person that is in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and wishes to apply for carer’s allowance can receive 50% carer's allowance whilst remaining on jobseeker's allowance; the regulations which apply to receipt of either or both of these allowances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14536/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Carer's Allowance (CA) at half-rate is payable to people who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care.

As it is a requirement for receipt of jobseeker’s allowance (JA) and jobseeker’s benefit (JB) that the person concerned must be available for and genuinely seeking work and couldn’t satisfy these conditions while also satisfying the condition of providing full-time care and attention to a person, payment of JA or JB and CA concurrently is not permitted.

Section 186A of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, as amended, provides for the payment of half-rate CA and subsection 186A(5)(d)(ii) prohibits its payment with JA or JB.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.