Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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289. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider a special pardon for family carers who engaged in work (details supplied) during Covid-19, given the circumstances at the time and the small number of recipients who would be in this category; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49386/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Government acknowledges the valuable role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy.

My department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on all these payments to carers in 2023 is estimated at almost €1.6 billion.

The Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which the department provides income support to carers in the community. Carer’s Allowance is a means tested social assistance payment awarded to those carers who are caring for certain people who require full-time care and attention. The means test is used to target the support to those most in need.

The primary objective of the payment is to provide an income support to carers whose earning capacity is substantially reduced as a consequence of their full-time caring responsibilities and in so doing to support the ongoing care of the person in respect of whom care is being provided.

While the family carer support payments provided are premised on the provision of full-time care and attention by the carer, they do provide flexibility in terms of allowing carers to engage in training, education or work up to 18.5 hours per week. During this time, adequate provision must be made for the care of the relevant person.

Both the full-time care and attention requirement and the 18.5-hour limitation are contained in the respective legislative provisions of the Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and Carer’s Support Grant schemes.

Any carer engaged in employment (training and education) must show that the person they are caring for has adequate care while they are working. Where a carer has commenced employment, or increased the hours they are working, the onus is on the carer to notify the department of the change in their circumstances.

If there is a particular case of concern to the Deputy, could I suggest that it is brought to the attention of my department and my officials would be happy to examine it.

I hope that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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290. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection whether she plans to extend child benefit payments to young people over the age of 18 years who are in full-time education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49411/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The extension of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education was one of my key priorities as part of Budget 2024. The measure is expected to benefit approximately 60,000 18 year olds each year at an estimated cost of €21.6 million in 2024.

With many children now starting primary school at age 5, together with the increase in pupils doing transition year, there has been an increase in the number of 18-year-olds still in secondary education. I believe the extension of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education is a long-term change for the better and will support families across Ireland into the future.

This is a significant change to the Child Benefit scheme which will require technical and operational changes to the social welfare system before implementation. For this reason, the change will take effect from September 2024. Where a child in full time education turns 18 in the meantime they will be covered by the extension from September 2024 until they turn 19.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.