Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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206. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to remove means-testing for guardian's payments for children who are orphaned and cared for by family members; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39203/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Guardians Payments scheme, first introduced in 1936, was originally called orphan’s payment. It was renamed guardian’s payment in July 2006, in recognition of the fact that the original remit of the scheme had been extended to include certain children who had not lost both parents through bereavement.

There are two Guardians Payment schemes: Guardian’s payment (contributory), based on the PRSI contributions of the orphans parents or step-parent; and guardian’s payment (non-contributory), which is based on the means of the orphan.

A Guardians payment is made to a person caring for a child who satisfies the definition of an “orphan” under social welfare legislation. A child is considered an orphan if they are under 18 (or 22 if in full time education) and both parents are deceased; or one parent is either dead or unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child and the other parent is unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child.

Currently, there are around 1,600 people receiving guardian’s payments in respect of approximately 2,300 children; approximately 1,100 are in receipt of guardians payment (contributory) and approximately 500 are in receipt of guardians payment (non-contributory). Expenditure on guardian’s payments schemes (contributory and non-contributory) was €19.7 million in 2017.

If either of the child’s parents or step parents paid 26 weeks social insurance contributions, the orphan is entitled to Guardian’s payment (contributory), provided they satisfy the other conditions. If no entitlement to guardian’s payment (contributory) exists, an assessment for entitlement to guardian’s payment (non-contributory) is made. Qualification for guardians payment (non-contributory) is determined based on the means of the orphan - not the person receiving the payment.

Means assessments for qualification for other services and supports are a matter for the relevant authority. For example, there no automatic entitlement to a medical card for a child in respect of whom a guardian’s payment is being made and any proposal to extend medical card eligibility to these children is a matter for consideration by the Minister for Health.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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207. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the previous occasion on which her Department reviewed guardian payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39204/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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One of the roles of the Department is to provide income support to families with children in the State. Guardian’s payment (contributory) and guardian’s payment (non-contributory) are, respectively, social insurance and social assistance (means-tested) payments made to a person caring for a child, where that child is defined as an orphan under social welfare legislation. The purpose of the guardian’s payment scheme is to provide income support in respect of those children whose parents are unable to provide for them, through death or other circumstances.

Currently, there are around 1,600 people receiving guardian’s payments in respect of approximately 2,300 children. Expenditure on guardian’s payments schemes (contributory and non-contributory) was €19.7 million in 2017.

The guardian’s payments scheme was reviewed in 2011. The main recommendation from that review was that my Department should consult with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs [then the Department of Health and Children] regarding the possible alignment of the foster care allowance scheme and guardians payment. That consultation has highlighted that there are very different policy perspectives and principles governing both schemes, that the nature and purposes of the schemes are diverse, and that the qualifying and operating conditions of the schemes vary considerably.

Since that review, budget increases of €20 per week have been implemented in Budgets 2017 and 2018. The latest increase of €5 per week, implemented from March 2018, brings the weekly rate to €181; the highest rate of weekly child income support paid by my Department.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.