52 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on the current application of the cohabitation rule to lone parents in view of the recent recommendations made by the NESF's report No. 20; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6309/02]

The one parent family payment is my Department's main income support payment for lone parents. It is designed to provide income maintenance to those parents who are bringing up their children without the support of a partner. Clearly, a payment which is based on the contingency of lone parenthood cannot continue where the person marries or cohabits.

The social welfare system, in general, is contingency based and also assumes that there are economies of scale where two people are married or cohabiting. In the circumstances, under the current system a reduction in income may occur where a person changes status from being a lone parent to one where he or she marries or cohabits. Where both of a couple are welfare recipients the losses are, to some extent, eased by the payment of the qualified adult allowance.

This issue was examined in detail in a number of reports in recent years including the report of the working group examining the treatment of married, cohabiting and one-parent families under the tax and social welfare codes, 1999, and the review of the one-parent family payment, 2000. In neither case was a solution to the problem put forward with the contingency nature of the social welfare system as a whole identified as one of the major obstacles to a resolution.

53 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when he expects to receive a report from the consultants (details supplied) on the strategic issues involved in the financing of long-term care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6607/02]

56 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will review the carer's allowance to evaluate its impact in a changing society and to cater for a much wider customer base; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6633/02]

76 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of recipients of carer's allowance; and the numbers of applicants in 2001 who were successful and the number who were unsuccessful. [6621/02]

85 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his plans to introduce a cost of caring benefit. [6622/02]

86 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on the fact that most carers receive little or no support under the carer's allowance scheme; and his proposals in this regard. [6652/02]

329 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of carers in receipt of a carer's allowance; the number of applications for payment which have been refused; the number of carers as identified by the voluntary agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6894/02]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 53, 56, 76, 85, 86 and 329 together.

The most recent estimate of the number of full-time carers is available from the results of the census pilot survey carried out by the Central Statistics Office. This survey was carried out in September 1999 and is based on a sample of 8,000 households in which persons aged 15 years or over were asked if they provided unpaid personal help for someone with a long-term illness, health problem or disability, including problems due to old age.

The detailed results are as follows: 35,000 people provide more than 50 hours unpaid personal help per week, or seven hours per day; 17,000 people provide 20-49 hours unpaid personal help per week, or between three and seven hours per day; and 79,000 people provide one to 19 hours unpaid personal help per week, or between nine minutes and 2.5 hours per day.

These results are consistent with the conclusions of the review of the carer's allowance and it also explains the estimate of 120,000 carers used by the carer organisations. I have asked the Central Statistics Office to consider undertaking a detailed analysis of hours spent caring when conducting the census this year.

There are currently over 19,000 carers in receipt of carer's allowance which means that over 36 % of the 52,000 carers, as estimated by the CSO to be caring for more than three hours per day, are in receipt of carer's allowance. This is an increase of over 106% in the number of carers in receipt of the allowance since the Government took office and it should also be noted that the expected increase of another 3,400 carers following the increases in income disregards, which will become effective from this April, will increase this percentage to over 42% of all carers who are providing more than three hours care per day.

The level of payment for these carers has increased by €48.28, 54%, for those over 66 and by €33.08, 37%, for those under 66 over the last five budgets. In addition, people on carer's allowance now qualify for the full range of free schemes in addition to the annual respite care grant which will increase to €635 from June this year. Carers caring for more than one person will receive a double respite care grant of €1,270.