Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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201. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps he will take to ensure that carers on maternity leave and who continue in their carer role will not have their carer's payment cut. [18394/17]

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.

I have no plans to change the current arrangements.