Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. We all know that those who provide care to loved ones within the community make an invaluable contribution in supporting those who need help. By doing that, they complement the work of the State and alleviate pressure on our hospitals and nursing homes. Without the work of our carers, the pressures they face would be even bigger. In fairness to my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, this is an issue she really understands. I will come on to the issue the Deputy raised in regard to the means test in a moment but, due to her recognition of this issue and the work the Government has done in recent years, carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit have been increased by €29 per week over a number of budgets. It is the reason the carer’s support grant was increased to €1,850, its highest level in the history of the State.

As for the Deputy's point in respect of means-testing, it is in recognition of this that the income disregards have now been changed, most recently in June of this year when they were increased from €350 to €450 for a single person and up to €900 for carers who have a spouse or partner. What the Government has aimed to do is to change the income disregards, recognising the issue people face, namely, that when a means-tested payment is provided, it can create difficulty for those who are just outside of it and that difficulty is added to when they are providing care for those they love in situations that are frequently very difficult.

I remind the House of probably the most significant change that has been made, which is the introduction of the long-term carer's contribution, doing more to help ensure that if somebody has been a full-time carer throughout their life, they have a better chance of accessing the State pension later in life in recognition of what they have done.

Deputy Fitzpatrick raised the issue of getting rid of the means test. What we have aimed to do over a number of years is increase the value of the payment and change the income disregard. Regarding the full abolition of a means test, for many social welfare payments, a means test is at the heart of how we can ensure our money goes to those who need it the most. The Minister has put a working group in place to assess this issue. I understand the working group will come back to the Minister and her Department with a report on this issue in quarter 4 2024, before the year is out. It is a complex issue but, as we are dealing with it, we have changed the value of the payment and the income disregards to recognise the immense work carers do in our country.

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