Written answers
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Eligibility
Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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858. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will abolish the requirement of a means test for Irish citizens in order that they may qualify for a carer’s allowance, to ensure the continuance of this vital service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46598/24]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The main income supports to carers provided by the Department of Social Protection are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending on these payments is expected to amount to over €1.9 billion in 2025.
The Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers in the community. There are currently 98,117 people in receipt of Carer's Allowance and expenditure in 2025 is estimated to be over €1.24 billion.
The primary objective of the Carer’s Allowance payment is to provide an income support to carers whose earning capacity is substantially reduced as a consequence of their caring responsibilities and in so doing to support the ongoing care of the person or people in respect of whom care is being provided.
There have been a number of significant improvements made to the means test for Carer's Allowance in recent years. As part of Budget 2025, the weekly income disregard will increase from €450 to €625 for a single person, and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse/partner. This amounts to cumulative increases to the disregards of €292.50 and €585.00 respectively since June 2022.
Notwithstanding these improvements an Interdepartmental Working Group with the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth was established last year to examine and review the system of means testing for carer payments. The Group is due to report its findings in the coming weeks.
The Government is very aware of the key role that family carers play in Irish society and the challenges they face. Thus, the Programme for Government - Securing Ireland's Future - commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government.
I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
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