Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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1003.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider omitting the carer’s allowance from being means-tested, particularly when parents are applying for the back-to-school allowance, given that parents who work 18 hours at a basic wage are negatively impacted by this means test when carer’s allowance is included in the assessments; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[35478/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year.

In order to qualify for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, an applicant must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions, one of which requires the applicant’s household income to be within the relevant income limits.

The Weekly Household Income Limits for 2024 are:

The household income includes weekly social protection payments, including Carer's Allowance, gross income from employment, minus employees PRSI and a €20 travel allowance and any other income the household may have.

Any income from Child Benefit, Rent Supplement, Working Family Payment, Back to Work Family Dividend, Guardian’s Payments, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Blind Welfare Allowance, Foster Care Allowance, Higher Level Education grants, or rehabilitative employment (up to €165 per week) is not assessable.

Any proposed changes to the means testing of the scheme would have to be considered in a wider budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available for welfare improvements.

Applications which fall outside the normal rules of the scheme may be considered for an Additional Needs Payment under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.

Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local Community Welfare Service. There is a National Community Welfare Service Contact Centre in place – 0818-607080 – which will direct callers to the appropriate office.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.