Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 October 2024
343. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason her Department's costing estimate on the proposal to abolish the means-test for carer’s allowance was based on the assumption of 146,046 recipients of the carer's support grant, when that payment is received by 132,523 carers. [40279/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe costing was based on the 146,046 carees/care recipients as per data available to my department on 31/12/2023. A Carer’s Support Grant is paid in respect of each of these care recipients.
Under the legislation that pertains to Carer’s Allowance these people, defined as relevant persons, have been deemed by the department as requiring and receiving full-time care and attention.
The provision of a full-time care and attention to a relevant person is one of two key eligibility criteria for the Carer’s Allowance scheme as it currently operates, the second being the requirement to satisfy a means test. In the absence of a means test it is reasonable to assume a Carer’s Allowance payment could be paid in respect of each of these known number of people requiring full-time care and attention. Thus, this was the rationale for using this figure as the basis of the costing.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
