Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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347. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a carer can continue to receive the full allowance if she is on maternity leave and in receipt of maternity benefit but still fulfilling her carer's role. [16179/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As is common with social security systems across the world, the Irish social welfare system generally applies the principle of one person, one payment. It can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time such as being on maternity leave, while providing full-time care and attention to a person, who consequent on an illness or disability, requires such care.

In these circumstances full-rate carer’s allowance is not payable with maternity benefit, however a person may qualify for half-rate carer’s allowance in addition to maternity benefit and may continue to qualify for additional supports such as the carer’s support grant, free travel and (if the person is residing with the care recipient) the household benefits package.