Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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105. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will review the current policy whereby domiciliary care allowance ceases at age 16, requiring families to apply for disability allowance, which is means-tested on the household, resulting in many families losing financial support for their child with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52467/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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106. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will consider extending the upper age limit for domiciliary care allowance to 18 years of age, to ensure continuity of support for young persons with disabilities and their families, particularly in cases where the means test for disability allowance results in ineligibility for payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52468/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 106 together.

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.

Disability Allowance is a means-tested income support payment for people whose illness or disability means that they are substantially restricted from doing work that would be suitable for a person of their age, experience and qualifications. It is important to note that the parent's means are not assessed in the means test for Disability Allowance.

Eligibility for Domiciliary Care Allowance ceases 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.

Applications for Disability Allowance can be made within 3 months before the child’s 16th birthday to ensure continuity of support.

It is important to note, as outlined earlier, that Domiciliary Care Allowance and Disability Allowance are designed for different purposes and have different eligibility criteria. As such, it would not be appropriate to automatically award Disability Allowance to a person benefiting from Domiciliary Care Allowance once they reach the age of 16 as not all carees may require or be eligible for Disability Allowance.

My Department published the Green Paper on Disability Reform in September 2023. 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 and was withdrawn following feedback from disability stakeholders.

Any future reform of disability or carers payments, including Domiciliary Care Allowance, will be considered in the context of our commitments in the Programme for Government and the recently published National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.