Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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595. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there are plans to revise the existing application guidelines for the domiciliary care allowance, especially in relation to children who are right below the threshold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7589/25]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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596. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the supports available to parents of autistic children where they do not qualify for the domiciliary care allowance. [7590/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 595 and 596 together.

Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly allowance payable to a parent or guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability that requires continual or continuous care and attention substantially over and above the level of care and attention normally required by a child of the same age, and where the level of that disability is such that the child is likely to require this level of care and attention for a least 12 consecutive months. This level of care and attention must be required to allow the child deal with the activities of daily living.

Eligibility for Domiciliary Care Allowance is not based entirely on the child's disability or diagnosis but primarily on the impact of the disability in terms of the associated level of care and attention required by the relevant child compared to a child of the same age without their disability. As such it is not possible to say if a particular child or any particular condition/disability will qualify for a payment under the scheme. Each application is assessed on an individual basis taking account of the evidence submitted.

A person who does not qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance may qualify for the Carer's Support Grant or Carer's Benefit. Other eligibility criteria relating to these schemes do apply, including the relevant social insurance contributions in the case of Carer's Benefit and, in the case of both schemes, the provision of full-time care and attention of not less than 35 hours per week to a person that has such a disability that they require full-time care and attention.

It is important to state that these payments are income supports for the carer and are not contingent on the type of illness or disability of the care recipient.

Finally, any changes to schemes can only be considered in an overall budgetary and policy context and from an evidence-based perspective.

I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.