Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1499. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will increase the earnings for carer's allowance (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35287/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Government acknowledges the crucial role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for a Partnership Government and the National Carers’ Strategy.

Carer's allowance (CA) is a means tested payment, made to people who are providing full-time care and attention to elderly people or to people with disabilities and whose income falls below certain limits. The principal conditions for receipt of the allowance are that full time care and attention is required and being provided and that the means test which applies is satisfied.

The means test is already one of the most generous in the social protection system in that €332.50 of gross weekly income is disregarded in the calculation of means for a single person; the equivalent for someone who is married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting is €665 of combined gross weekly income. A married couple with 2 children could have weekly earnings of €1,135 net of PRSI, superannuation and union subscription costs and still qualify for the minimum rate of Carer's Allowance. This is equivalent to over €59,000 per annum.

Furthermore, considerable improvements have been introduced for carers in recent years. In Budget 2016, the carer’s support grant – which is payable without a means test - was increased to €1,700 and the period when CA can be paid following the death of a care recipient was extended from 6 to 12 weeks. In addition to the Christmas Bonus and the €5 increase in the weekly rate, Budget 2017 introduced a measure that extends payment of CA for 12 weeks where the care recipient enters permanent residential care.

There are currently no plans to further increase the earnings disregard for CA. Any changes in this regard could only be considered in a budgetary context and be consistent with the commitments contained in the Programme for Government to support an increase in carer’s payments.