Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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78. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to review the eligibility criteria for carers and provide further financial supports to those who provide full-time care. [50710/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Government acknowledges the crucial role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy.

My department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on these payments to carers in 2022 is estimated to exceed €1.5 billion.

The Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers in the community. Carer’s Allowance is a means tested social assistance payment awarded to those carers who are caring for certain people who require full-time care and attention. At the end of August, there were 91,658 people in receipt of Carer's Allowance. The projected expenditure on Carer’s Allowance in 2022 is approximately €990 million.

The primary objective of the payment is to provide an income support to carers whose earning capacity is substantially reduced as a consequence of their caring responsibilities and in so doing to support the ongoing care of the person in respect of whom care is being provided.

While the caring requirements of the caree(s) will be different, this does not affect the rates of the allowance, which is intended to provide an income support for the carer and does not depend on individual care requirements. Where carers are providing care to more than one person, an increase of 50% is applicable.

Carers may also (subject to certain conditions) qualify for the:

- Household Benefits Package

- Free Travel Scheme

In addition to Carer's Allowance, my department provides non-means tested payment to carers, as follows:

- The Carers Benefit payment is an entitlement based on social insurance contributions. Carer’s Benefit is a payment made to insured people who may be required to leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care. It is payable for a period of 2 years (104 weeks) for each care recipient and may be claimed over separate periods up to a total of 2 years (104 weeks). At the end of August there were 3,298 recipients of Carer’s Benefit. Projected expenditure on Carer’s Benefit in 2022 is estimated at €48.6 million.

- The Carer's Support Grant is automatically paid to people in receipt of Carer's Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and Domiciliary Care allowance in June of each year. Other carers not in receipt of a carer’s payment may also be eligible for the Grant. The objective of the Carer’s Support Grant is to support carers in their caring role and carers may use the grant in a manner that is appropriate to their needs. The grant is paid in respect of each person being cared for to take account of the additional cost of providing care and to recognise the particular challenges faced by these carers. As part of Budget Measures 2021, the rate of the grant was increased by €150. The new rate of €1,850 came into effect from June 2021. This is the highest rate of the grant since its introduction. On Thursday 2 June the grant was paid to some 121,000 carers and their families. The overall cost of the grant in 2022 is expected to be over €262 million.

- Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment for a child aged under 16 with a severe disability, who requires ongoing care and attention, substantially over and above the care and attention usually required by a child of the same age. It is not means tested. The Domiciliary Care Allowance rate is €309.50 per month. There is no restriction on the number of children for whom you may claim Domiciliary Care Allowance. At the end of August some 48,8101 families benefited from the payment in respect of 54,558 children. The projected expenditure on Domiciliary Care Allowance in 2022 is approximately €203 million.

In Budget 2023, in acknowledgement of the crucial role that family carers play in our society and the particular challenges they face in light of the current cost of living crisis, I announced a number of further financial supports for carers. These measures benefitting family carers directly include:

- €500 Cost of Living lump sum payment to be paid in November.

- Cost of Living Double Payment to Carers to be paid in October.

- Carers will also receive the Christmas Bonus Double Payment in early December.

- €12 increase in the maximum rate of Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit with effect from January 2023 with proportionate increases for people receiving a reduced rate.

- The Half-rate Carer’s Allowance will be disregarded in the means assessment for Fuel Allowance with effect from January 2023.

- Domiciliary Care Allowance will increase by €20.50 to €330 per month with effect from January 2023.

I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to keep the range of income supports provided to family carers by this Department under review and will ensure that consultations with carer’s representative groups continue so that the overall objectives of the carer income support schemes provided are met. However, any changes to the eligibility conditions to current supports or further financial supports provided by this Department would have implications for overall spending and could only be addressed in an overall budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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79. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide an update on additional needs payment applications; if community welfare officers are dealing with an increase in applications at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50272/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.

The schemes are demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

In the period January to end of September 2022, payments totaling €39.8 million have been made in relation to some 65,921 additional needs payments (excluding reoccurring supplements). The main items eligible for assistance include help with fuel, utility bills, repairs to or replacement of household appliances, clothing, child related items such as cots and prams, assistance with funerals or burial costs and travel. Support is also available to assist persons under this scheme towards rent deposits. Some 3,400 customers are currently in receipt of an additional supplement to help with ongoing needs. Assistance provided under these supplements includes heat, travel and other ongoing costs. Payments totaling €2.4 million have been made to date under these supplements.

The Government has provided funding of €45.75 million for the provision of exceptional and urgent needs that are provided for as Additional Needs Payment in 2022. A further provision of €4.3 million has been provided for SWA Supplements in 2022 (excluding rent supplement).

The number of applications for Additional Needs Payments increased significantly in response to two major advertising and communications campaigns by my Department to promote the scheme this year. Table 1 shows the number of additional needs payments (excluding reoccurring supplements) paid from January – September 2022 and during the same period in 2021.

The Community Welfare Service is committed to providing a quality service to all citizens, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible. My Department continues to work to improve the service to citizens and every effort is being made to minimise processing times.

Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an additional needs payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Table 1- Number of additional needs payments (excluding reoccurring supplements) paid from January – September 2022 and during the same period in 2021.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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80. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will reintroduce the Covid enhanced illness benefit given that statutory sick pay will not start until at least January 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50724/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is generally not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work.

In March 2020, under the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 (No. 1) and subsequent regulations, the Government provided for entitlement to Illness Benefit for persons who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 or are a probable source of infection with Covid-19.

Regulations made under the emergency legislation providing for the Enhanced Illness Benefit in respect of Covid-19 contained a sunset clause, that is, that the scheme would no longer be in effect after a specified date. An extension to these special arrangements required consultation with the Ministers for Health and Public Expenditure and Reform. This date was extended a number of times; the latest extension expired on 30 September 2022.

Much has changed since the provisions were introduced in March 2020, in particular the development of a range of vaccines; the subsequent successful roll-out of the vaccination programme and later the booster programme; and the phased ending of restrictions from 22 January 2022. The Department of Health was consulted and advised that, in line with the transition out of the emergency phase of the pandemic, the proposal to provide Illness Benefit for Covid-19 in a manner similar to that of any other infectious disease was now an appropriate one. On that basis I have no plans to reintroduce the payment.

Apart from these income supports, my Department provides means tested supports under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who are ill but who do not qualify for Illness Benefit. The Department may also make an exceptional needs payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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81. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will support a matter relating to the working family payment and the closure of a person’s (details supplied) application for renewal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49481/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. In order to qualify for WFP, an applicant must have a qualified child and be engaged in full-time paid employment as an employee for not less than 38 hours per fortnight.

Once WFP is granted, it is payable for 52 weeks at the same rate, as long as the customer continues to be engaged in full-time paid employment as an employee for at least 38 hours every fortnight.

The person concerned received an online invite to renew their WFP. A renewal application was received from the person concerned on 11/07/2022. At the time the application was due for renewal, there was a query on the current employment status of the person concerned.

The person concerned notified the Department that their current employment was going to end, and new employment would be pursued. The person concerned was contacted and intends to make a new application for WFP once they have the required information from their new employment available to support this application.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.