452. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person in County Cork (details supplied) was refused a recent benefit claim; if she will review her entitlement to this payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24922/24]

Carer's Benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention.

To qualify, the Carer must satisfy PRSI conditions; employment conditions; show that they are providing full-time care and attention; and must show that the care recipient requires full-time care and attention.

An application for CARB was received from the person concerned on the 28 February 2020. The application was referred for the professional opinion of a Department Medical Assessor. The claim was disallowed as the Deciding Officer, having regard to the opinion of the Medical Assessor, decided that the information supplied did not show that the care recipient required full time care.

Following a review of this decision, the decision was overturned, and the person concerned was awarded CARB for the period 19 March 2020 to 29 September 2021. Following a request from the person concerned, the claim was extended for the period 30 September 2021 to 22 December 2021 and again for the period 23 December 2021 to 16 March 2022. As a result, the person has received their full entitlement of 104 weeks in respect of this care recipient.

The person concerned was in receipt of Class A PRSI contributions when their CARB claim commenced and so their entitlement to ordinary reckonable contributions continued for the period they were in receipt of CARB. The person concerned received credits for the period they were in receipt of CARB as follows: 42 credits in 2020, 52 in 2021 and 11 in 2022. These credits will count towards any further social welfare entitlements in the future.

I hope this clarifies the current situation for the Deputy.