Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Carer's Benefit is a Pay Related Social Insurance based payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. It is payable for a period of 2 years (104 weeks) for each care recipient and may be claimed over separate periods up to a total of 2 years (104 weeks).

Only Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions paid at classes A, B, C, D, E and H are counted towards Carer's Benefit. Contributions paid at class S (self-employed contributions) do not count.

Self-employed workers whose income is €5,000 or more in a contribution year, are liable to pay social insurance contributions at the class S rate of 4%, subject to a minimum annual payment of €500. Where all qualification criteria for the particular scheme are satisfied, this class of PRSI gives access to the following benefits:

• Adoptive Benefit,
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory),
• Invalidity Pension,
• Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed),
• Maternity Benefit,
• Parent's Benefit,
• Partial Capacity Benefit (where in receipt of Invalidity Pension),
• Paternity Benefit,
• State Pension (Contributory),
• Treatment Benefit, and
• Widows, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension.

• Carer's Benefit,
• Health and Safety Benefit,
• Illness Benefit, and
• Occupational Injuries Benefits.

Any changes in access to schemes for self-employed contributors would need to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context, including the appropriate contribution rates.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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300. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she is aware of a case (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5066/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Carer's Support Grant (CSG) is an annual payment for carers who look after a person in need of full-time care and attention. The payment is made regardless of the carer's means but is subject to certain qualifying conditions. The time spent providing care must not be less than 35 hours in a period of 7 consecutive days, and care is provided on any 5 days, whether consecutive or not, within a period of 7 consecutive days.

The person claiming the Grant must:

• Be aged 16 or over and ordinarily resident in this State
• Care for the person on a full-time basis
• Care for the person for a continuous period of at least six months – this period must include the first Thursday in June
• Live with the person being looked after, or this person can be contacted quickly by a direct system of communication (i.e., a telephone or alarm)
• Not be employed / self-employed for more than 18.5 hours per week
• Not be in receipt of, or entitled to receive Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit or be signing for credited contributions

• Be so incapacitated as to need full-time care and attention
• Not normally live in a hospital, convalescent home, or another similar institution
• Not receive full-time care and attention within their own home from another person other than the person claiming the Grant

Having reviewed the evidence of the case, the Deciding Officer found that, although the person concerned was providing some care, the time involved was not considered to be full time as set out in the legislation governing the CSG. The person concerned was informed of this decision in a letter dated 10 May 2022 and of their right of review and appeal.

On 7 July 2022, the person concerned requested a review of the decision. The outcome of the review was that the original decision remained unchanged. The person concerned was notified on 11 July 2022 of the outcome, the reason for it and of their right of appeal.

On 28 July 2022, the person concerned appealed the decision of the Deciding Officer. The Appeals Officer upheld the decision of the Deciding Officer and disallowed the appeal on 14 November 2022. The decision of the Appeals Office is final and conclusive and can only be overturned in light of new facts or fresh evidence.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.