2047. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection whether consideration can be given to a backdated payment of carer's allowance (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57758/26]

Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that, as a result, they require that level of care.

An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 21 November 2023.

CA was awarded from 23 November 2023. The person concerned was notified of this decision in writing on 21 December 2023.

A backdating review was initiated on foot of correspondence received on 16 January 2024. Following this review, the decision and date of award remained unchanged. The person was notified of this decision in writing on 13 February 2024. They were also notified of their right to have the decision reviewed (where further information is available) or to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeal Office.

A person is disqualified from payment of CA for any period before the date on which the claim is made. However, the claim can be backdated for up to 6 months in circumstances where "good cause" is shown for the delay in making the claim, provided the claimant can prove to the satisfaction of the Deciding Officer (DO) or Appeals Officer (AO) that they satisfied the qualifying conditions for receipt of payment during that period.

Further back-dating may also be possible in certain circumstances:

• where the failure to claim within the prescribed time period arose as a result of false and misleading information being provided by staff of this department to the person or their agent

or

• the person was so incapacitated by illness or infirmity between time of entitlement and making the claim that they could not make the claim or instruct another person to make the claim on their behalf

A request to appeal this decision was lodged with the Department and forwarded to the SWAO on 12 April 2024. The appeal was disallowed, and the original decision was upheld. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 15 August 2024.

A request to review the Appeal Officer's decision on foot of correspondence received on 30 June 2026 was disallowed by the SWAO. The appeal officer's decision is final and can only be reviewed in light of new evidence of facts not previously considered. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 13 July 2026.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.