Mayo plea for reform of carer's allowance means test
Family carers are the backbone of care provision and an essential pillar in our healthcare system, a Mayo TD has outlined.
However, according to Deputy Alan Dillon, it is increasingly clear the classification of carer's allowance as a social assistance payment does not recognise the uniqueness of family carers within our social welfare system.
The Castlebar-based representative elaborated: "Many family carers I have spoken to feel strongly the means test for the allowance needs to be overhauled.
"As the assessment of needs for carers is applied to gross rather than net income and does not consider mortgage repayments, dependent children, college fees, nursing home support scheme contributions and medical costs, it does not reflect the reality faced by many caring families.
"Families may appear relatively financially comfortable based on their gross income but struggle to make ends meet when living expenses and costs of care are deducted.
"The expectation a carer provides full-time care at least 35 hours per week for just €16 more than the basic social welfare rates is untenable.
"The government needs to demonstrate it recognises the value of carers."
In response, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in Budget 2022, the government announced significant improvements in the means test for carer's allowance in recognition of the vital role carers play.
He explained: "The general weekly income disregard for carer's allowance will be increased from €332.50 to €350 for a single person and from €665 to €750 for a couple.
"That will enable more carers with modest incomes to become eligible for this scheme and those currently in receipt of a reduced payment may now receive a higher payment.
"The capital disregard will also be increased from €20,000 to €50,000 for carer's allowance. That will help carers who have accumulated relatively modest savings.
"These have been some of the more significant changes to the means test for carers in many years and were welcomed by carer representative groups at the time of the budget.
"In addition to these changes to the means test, all recipients of a weekly carer's payment will have seen a €5 increase from January and those with children will also have seen an increase in the qualified child payment.
"I accept people will always want us to do more. Based on the total number of carers identified as part of census 2016, it has been estimated a universal carer's payment would cost in excess of €1.2 billion per annum over and above current spending, so we have to weigh everything up in terms of all the various schemes we provide."