109. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline his plans to reform the domiciliary care allowance. [66685/26]

Domiciliary Care Allowance is a payment to a parent or guardian in respect of a child under 16 who has a severe disability and requires continuous care and attention, substantially more than is typically required by a child of the same age.  Over 65,900 families receive Domiciliary Care Allowance in respect of approximately 75,490 children, with estimated expenditure of almost €359 million in 2026.

In January, the Domiciliary Care Allowance was increased by €20, to the monthly rate of €380.  This is paid in addition to the annual Carer’s Support Grant of €2,000 payable in respect of each eligible child.

The Programme for Government contains a wide range of commitments to support family carers which will continue to be advanced over the lifetime of the Government.  These commitments include abolishing the Carer’s Allowance means test and progressively increasing weekly carer's payments.

My focus in relation to Carers remains the process of phasing out the means test for Carer’s Allowance, which is consistent with the policy approach advocated by family carer organisations.  Significant improvements have been made in this area such that virtually all those in receipt of Carer's Allowance are now in receipt of the maximum weekly rate.

The Government will continue to keep the range of supports available to disabled children and their families under review in the context of the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which includes a range of measures aimed at supporting disabled children and their families and enhancing supports for disabled people, subject to the availability of budgetary resources.