2104. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of carer’s benefit; the typical duration of their claim; and if he has considered greater flexibility under this scheme to cover intermittent caring periods. [63891/26]

Carer's Benefit is a weekly social insurance-based payment for people who leave the workforce or reduce their hours of employment to provide full-time care and attention to a person in need of such care. The right to Carer's Leave from employment complements the Carer's Benefit scheme. Carer’s Leave is the responsibility of the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality.

At the end of July 2026, there were 5,023 recipients of Carer's Benefit. The average duration for these recipients was 50 weeks.

The two principal conditions for receipt of Carer’s Benefit are that full-time care and attention is required and being provided, and that the social insurance contributions rule which applies is satisfied. Under legislation, Carer’s Benefit may be paid for a maximum period of 104 weeks, or two years, in respect of each care recipient. The entitlement may be taken in a single period or in separate periods, provided that the cumulative duration does not exceed 104 weeks for the same care recipient.

A person can claim Carer's Benefit for less than six weeks in a row; however, they must wait another six weeks before they can get Carer's Benefit for the same person again. The rationale for the six-week interval between caring periods, introduced in 2001 as part of the Carer’s Leave Act, is to strike a reasonable balance between the needs of the employee and those of the employer who may have to hire and/or train staff to cover the period of Carer’s Leave.

The Government has introduced a number of recent enhancements to Carer’s Benefit, including extending eligibility to self-employed persons from January 2025 and increasing the earnings limit from €450 to €625 per week after tax in 2025, with a further increase to €1,000 as part of Budget 2026.

Any further changes to the scheme, including additional flexibility in relation to intermittent caring arrangements, would have to be considered in the context of the overall policy objectives of the scheme, legislative requirements, and the sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund.