Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 October 2024
423. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 342 of 8 October 2024, to confirm that the high scenario cost estimate of €2 billion is based on 201,600 carers (70% of those who self-reported in Census 2022) being eligible for carer’s allowance in the absence of the means test; and if not, the number the high scenario is based on. [41646/24]
View answer424. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 342 of 8 October 2024, to confirm that the high scenario cost estimate of €2 billion is the resulting total cost of the carer’s allowance scheme if the removal of the means-test resulted in 70% of self-reports in the Census 2022 carers being eligible for carer’s allowance and to provide the additional cost (in numbers of millions) of the high scenario once the 'no policy change' estimated expenditure on the carer’s allowance scheme is subtracted. [41647/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 423 and 424 together.
For the costing the Deputy is referencing, data from the 2022 Census was used. In Census 2022, approximately 290,000 people over 19 years of age self-reported as carers. The Deputy is correct in saying that the number of carers estimated as being eligible for Carer's Allowance under the 'High Scenario' for this costing was 201,600.
There are a number of reasonable scenarios that could be used when attempting to estimate the cost range of abolishing the Carer's Allowance means test. These approaches include using administrative data from the Department, Census data, or estimates from representative bodies such as Family Carers Ireland.
The costing referenced by the Deputy is not based on extrapolating from the number of current recipients and, as such, it is not clear how the additional cost can be identified under a 'no policy change' scenario. There is no way to identify current recipients of Carer's Allowance as they appear in the Census statistics produced by the Central Statistics Office.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
