Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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275. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a person (details supplied) will have their carer's benefit payment reinstated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41154/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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It is a condition for receipt of Carer's Benefit (CARB) that the person being cared for must have a disability whose effect is that they require full-time care and attention.

This is defined as requiring from another person, continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily functions or continuous supervision in order to avoid danger to him or herself.

The care recipient suffered injury in a road traffic accident in August 2015. CARB was initially awarded for a period of 6 months from 3 March 2016 to 31 August 2016 and the claim was extended on a number of occasions since then.

Prior to the expiry of her claim on 30 August 2017 the carer submitted further evidence in support of a claim for continued payment and the deciding officer decided that this evidence did not indicate that the requirement for full-time care was satisfied.

The person concerned was notified on 30 August 2017 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal.

A request for a review and additional medical evidence was received on 11 September 2017. Following this review the decision remained unchanged.

The person concerned was notified on 26 September of the outcome of the review, the reasons for it and of her right of appeal.

However, it has also been noted that the care recipient injured himself in an occupational injury. If he has suffered a loss of physical or mental faculty as a result of this occupational accident, he may have an entitlement to disablement benefit which is one of the benefits under my Department’s occupational injuries benefit scheme. Part of the application process for disablement benefit involves an in-person assessment by one of the Department’s Medical Assessors to determine if he suffered any loss of faculty. If he is deemed to have lost half of his physical or mental faculty and needs someone to help him daily at home to attend to his personal needs, he could be entitled to a constant attendance allowance. This is payable at the same rate as CARB.

I have arranged for an application form for disablement benefit to issue to him.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.