Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1811. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of carer's benefit arrears for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35203/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Carer's benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. To qualify, the applicant must be providing full-time care and attention to a person requiring that level of care.

Under the provisions of the legislation a person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they can show that adequate provision has been made for the care of the care recipient(s) while they engage in employment, self-employment or on training or courses of education, provided that the combined hours from such activities do not exceed 15 hours per week outside your home and the earnings from employment do not exceed €332.50 per week.

As the hours of employment in this case were not reduced to a maximum of 15 per week until 17/6/19, Carer's Benefit can only be awarded from the following Thursday 20/6/19. The payment can continue for 104 weeks from that date while all other qualifying conditions continue to be satisfied.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.