Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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591. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applications received for a domiciliary care allowance in each of the past five years to date; the number approved and rejected in each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47203/18]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment for a child aged under 16 years with a severe disability, who requires ongoing care and attention, substantially over and above the care and attention usually required by a child of the same age. The payment of €309.50 per month is not means tested. Currently the allowance is paid to over 38,000 parents/guardians in respect of some 42,000 children.

The total expenditure for DCA in 2017 was €152m and a further €61m was paid to customers in June as a Carer’s Support Grant at a rate of €1,700 per eligible child.

The number of applications received, allowed and disallowed over the past 5 years and to date in 2018, are

Please note that the number of claims processed in any one year will include claims received towards the end of the previous year and may also include repeat claims in respect of the same child.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.