John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1324. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection whether a full review is being carried out on the carer’s allowance payment by this Department; the current status of this review; whether consideration will be given as part of this review to allowing for a full-rate carer’s allowance payment to be paid to persons on a widow’s pension, and other eligible payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44509/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department established an Interdepartmental Working Group with the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, to examine and review the entire system of means test for carers' payments. This included the Carer's Allowance payment.

The group has concluded its work, and the report from the group has been submitted to me. I will consider the findings of the report in the context of the upcoming Budget deliberations.

The Programme for Government commits to ensuring parents who are aged 66+ and caring for children with lifelong disabilities, retain the rate at which they are paid their Carer’s Allowance and concurrently receive their State Pension. As with other Programme for Government commitments, this will be implemented over the lifetime of the Government and in the context of available budgetary resources.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.