2026-01-15

7. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps being taken to ensure that parents who are aged 66 years and above and caring for children with lifelong disabilities retain the rate at which they are paid their carer’s allowance and concurrently receive the State pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2827/26]

I would like to talk about carers, in particular, those who are over the age of 66 and in receipt of the State pension. I ask the Minister to outline the steps that are currently being taken to ensure that parents who have, for their lifetime, cared for their children and reached the age of 66 can retain the full rate of carer's allowance and concurrently receive the State pension.

The main income supports provided by the Department to carers are the carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer's support grant. Spending on those payments in 2026 is expected to be over €2.2 billion. In general, people who are eligible for two social welfare payments at the same time receive the higher payment for which they are eligible; they do not receive both payments simultaneously. For instance, a jobseeker who falls ill does not receive both a jobseeker payment and an illness payment. In recognition of the vital role of caring, however, an important exception already applies. Where a person is receiving a full-time social welfare payment, such as the State pension, and is providing full-time care for at least 35 hours per week, they may receive up to half the carer's allowance rate in addition to their primary payment. This arrangement applies across almost all weekly social welfare payments, including those with increases for a qualified adult. At the end of 2025, there were 49,234 carers benefiting from these arrangements. Of that figure, approximately 14,500 were receiving a State pension, either contributory or non-contributory. That means that a person in receipt of carer's allowance who qualifies for the full State pension on reaching the age of 66 and retains a half-rate carer's allowance will see their payment increase from €270 a week to a combined pension and carer payment of €453.30 per week. The programme for Government commits to ensuring that parents who are aged 66 or over and who are caring for children with lifelong disabilities retain the rate at which they are paid their carer's allowance and concurrently receive the State pension. We are committed to progressively increasing weekly carer's payments. We will continue to increase various payments in this space. A big focus is that the carer's allowance means test is abolished. The process for phasing out that means test is well under way. From July of this year, the weekly income disregard will increase from €625 to €1,000 for a single person and from €1,250 to €2,000 for carers who are part of a couple. We will continue to advance these commitments over the lifetime of the Government, having regard to the overall policy and budgetary context.

I acknowledge the work being done but, as a former family carer myself, I know full well that our carers provide an enormous service not only to their loved ones and those they care for but also to the State itself. It is estimated that each year the State saves €20 billion that would have to be invested in our health services were it not for the work of family carers. These carers work long and difficult days in the most demanding of roles, and caring for a loved one in older age can often be deeply challenging. I am therefore of the strong opinion that the State has a responsibility to look at our carers in an exceptional way and to care for them and to support them in every single way we can. While I said I welcome the body of work that has been done to phase out the carer's means test the Minister mentioned over the course of the current Government's term, I strongly support the commitments made in the programme for Government to ensure that the State give every support possible to help our carers in their role. I therefore ask the Minister to take one further step and to ensure that everything possible is done to provide pensioners caring for their children with the full rate of carer's allowance.

We absolutely agree with the Deputy on the role of carers and the role of family carers. That is why we have made changes and made such commitments in terms of the means test. It is also why the exception in relation to the half-rate of carer's allowance is made. Those in receipt of the half-rate are the only cohort for whom that exception is made. We have a programme for Government commitment to better support parents aged 66 or over who are caring for children with lifelong disabilities, and I will advance that commitment over the lifetime of the Government. As I said to the Deputy, at the end of December last there were 49,234 recipients of the half-rate of carer's allowance and, of those, just over 15,000 were receiving a State pension. We will continue to progress that commitment in relation to those aged 66 or over and we will continue to engage with the Deputy on that commitment.

That is very heartening to hear, and I look forward to working together to ensure that the commitments in the programme for Government are advanced. While I am here, I would like to raise the immense financial strains carers often find themselves under in spite of the services they provide. In a recent survey, 69% of carers reported having difficulty making ends meet and, of those, 29% have begun cutting back on essentials such as food and heating. Some 39% of all carers live in households with a combined total income of less than €30,000 per annum, so the financial challenges that come with being a carer, particularly in older age, must be addressed head-on. The Minister has mentioned the ambition that has been shown in supporting our carers through an increased domiciliary care allowance, which I acknowledge. He has outlined the increased welfare payments that started this month. I know that this Government intends to ensure, as he has also outlined, that our carers are fully and properly supported. I have so many such constituents who are pensioners. They do not understand why, despite having provided care and having been in receipt of the full rate of carer's allowance their entire life, when they reach pension age, when in fact the job sometimes gets more difficult, their full rate is reduced. They see it as a sign that the State does not acknowledge their work as carers. I again urge that the commitment in the programme for Government is advanced. I thank the Minister for his work.

There are supports. There are additional supports as well. It is important that everybody is aware of them in order that they do not miss them. We know that the carer's support grant increased to €2,000 last June. I refer to those who are getting carer's allowance at both the full rate and the half-rate and other full-time carers. The household benefits package is available to help to meet the costs of electricity, gas and the TV licence. It is available to carers under the age of 70 who are getting carer's allowance at the full rate or the half-rate. Carer's allowance has been a qualifying payment for fuel allowance since this time last year, since January 2025. We have additional supports available. As I said, we have a programme for Government commitment in this space. The Deputy has spoken to me about this before, and we will advance it during my time in the Department.