Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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119. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will extend the domiciliary care allowance from 16 to 18 in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50032/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly non-means tested payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability. The child must require care and attention substantially over and above that required by other children their age. Eligibility is not based on the disability or diagnosis, but rather on the impact of the disability in terms of the level of care and attention required by the child.

As part of Budget 2025, the payment increased by €20, to its current rate of €360.

In August 2025, more than 60,502 families were in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance in respect of over 68,500 children. Claims have doubled since 2015.

Domiciliary Care Allowance stops being paid when a child reaches 16 years of age. This aligns with the age of eligibility for Disability Allowance. If the young person continues to have a disability that significantly impacts their daily life, they can then apply for a Disability Allowance payment in their own name. If their parent or guardian continues to provide full-time care they can then retain, or apply for, a carer's payment.

One of the key proposals in the Green Paper on Disability Reform was to extend the upper age limit for Domiciliary Care Allowance and the lower age limit for Disability Allowance to 18 years of age. The Green Paper was a consultation document. Based on the feedback received during the public consultation, the Green Paper was withdrawn.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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120. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress made on removing the means test for carer's allowance; whether a timeline will be outlined for the removal of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50506/25]

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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123. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for an update on the abolition of means test for carer's allowance. [50775/25]

Aisling Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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167. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he intends to significantly increase the income disregards for carer’s allowance in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50585/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 120, 123 and 167 together.

The Programme for Government has clearly set out a timeline which 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.

This is a major change to the Carer's Allowance scheme and to the Irish social welfare system generally. It is important that we make progress in a way that is sustainable and which does not unduly limit our scope to support other vulnerable groups in society.

It is also important to note that we are in the process of easing the means test. The latest change occurred in July when the weekly income disregard for Carer's Allowance was increased from €450 to €625 for a single person, and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse/partner. This was as a result of a Budget 2025 measure. This amounts to cumulative increases to the disregards of €292.50 and €585.00 respectively, or 88%, since June 2022. Such improvements mean that many more carers can avail of Carer’s Allowance or potentially receive a higher rate of payment.

The latest increases mean that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €69,000 will still retain their full carers payment and even with an income of €97,000 will retain a partial payment.

I will consider any further improvements to the Carer's Allowance means test in light of the commitment contained in the Programme for Government and within the context of the upcoming Budget and in light of available resources.