department of social and family affairs annual report 2006 - Welfare.ie

Initiatives introduced in 2006 under this heading
include:
• improvements in the earnings disregard, from
June 2006, for people receiving Disability
Allowance or Blind Pension;
• the abolition, in September 2006, of peakhour
restrictions on the use of the Free Travel
Pass. The result is that people with disabilities
may now use their passes going to work or
attending educational, rehabilitative and
therapeutic courses that are, very often, central
to improving their lifestyles
> OBJECTIVE 5
Ensure that payments and supports to carers are
efficient and effective, recognising their needs and
adequately addressing poverty and social exclusion
and are adaptable to the needs of carers in a
changing care environment.
The Government and the social partners recognise
the importance of helping families to balance their
work responsibilities with their family, caring and
other commitments and acknowledge, in particular,
the important role played by family carers.
In Budget 2007, it was announced that a new
payment equivalent to half the Carer's Allowance
would be paid to certain people with another
social welfare entitlement. Under the new
arrangements, people in receipt of certain other
social welfare payments, such as the State
Pension (Contributory), who are also providing full
time care and attention to a person, will be able
to retain their main welfare payment and receive
another payment, depending on their means,
the maximum of which will be the equivalent
of a half rate Carer's Allowance. The precise
details regarding how this new arrangement will
operate are being examined and will be set out in
legislation in early 2007. The measure will come
into effect in September 2007.
The Department, in the context of its Sectoral Plan
under the Disability Act 2005 is working with the
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
and FÁS to progress issues associated with
training for carers. The Department is leading the
development of a structured consultation process
to inform future policy in this area. This will
involve an annual meeting of carer representative
groups and relevant Departments and agencies.
The first such consultation meeting was held
in November 2006. Eleven representative
groups and eight departments/agencies were
represented at the meeting.
Goal 2: people of working age
The social partnership agreement, Towards 2016,
negotiated and ratified in 2006, recognises the
importance of helping families to balance their
work responsibilities with their family, caring and
other commitments. The important role played
by family carers is particularly acknowledged.
The agreement contains priority actions which
are being addressed in a budgetary context as
detailed below.
In Budget 2007, the income disregard for Carer's
Allowance was increased by €30 from €290 to
€320 per week for a single person and by €60
from €580 to €640 for a couple. This increase
will take effect in April 2007 and will mean that
both this commitment in Towards 2016 and
the commitment in An Agreed Programme for
Government with regard to keeping the level of
the disregard in line with average earnings have
been exceeded.
> Increased payments to carers
Provision was made in Budget 2007 for the
following increases in the weekly rates of
payment to carers which took effect on 1 January
2007.
• the rate of Carer’s Benefit increased by €20.00
from €180.70 to €200.70 per week, an increase
of 11.1%,
• the rate of Carer's Allowance increased by
€20.00 or 11.1% to €200 per week for a carer
under age 66, and
• the rate for carers over age 66 increased by
€18.00 to €218.70 per week, an increase of 9%.
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