25. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline his intentions to reduce the means testing for people who apply for carer's allowance; the provisions he plans to make in this regard in Budget 2027. [67221/26]

39. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will remove the means test for Carer's Allowance. [66588/26]

45. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the removal of the mean’s test for Carer’s Allowance as committed to in the Programme for Government. [66650/26]

55. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to further reform the means test for carer’s allowance, including whether he will consider its full abolition and the introduction of a non-means-tested family carer payment, in recognition of the fact that eligibility for support should reflect the significant caring responsibilities undertaken by full-time family carers. [63776/26]

81. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection his views in relation to the phasing out of the carers allowance means test as committed to in the Programme for Government; and the timeline for this commitment to be met. [66892/26]

94. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of the Government's commitment to review the means test for carer's allowance; and whether he is considering the abolition of the means test in recognition of the vital role played by family carers. [67391/26]

108. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the timeline for the abolition of the carer’s means test. [66849/26]

110. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection following the increases in the income disregards for the carer’s allowance means test, the next steps his Department intends to take towards the Programme for Government commitment to phase out the means test; the further changes to the income disregards or qualifying criteria that are being considered; and the timeframe for their introduction. [67262/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 39, 45, 55, 81, 94, 108 and 110 together.

The Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to carers.  At the end of August there were 111,000 carers receiving this payment with a provision of €1.4 billion for 2026.

The Programme for Government has set out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget, with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of this Government.

This process is well underway.  As part of Budget 2026, I announced significant improvements to the means test that were introduced in July.  The weekly income disregard increased by 60% from €625 to €1,000 for a single person, and from €1,250 to €2,000 for carers who are part of couple.

These are the largest ever increases in the income disregards and mean that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of €110,000 will retain their full Carer’s Allowance payment and receive a partial payment with a household income up to €138,000.

The impact of the increases also meant almost 2,700 carers received an increase in their Carer’s Allowance payment in July and virtually everyone on the scheme are now being paid their maximum weekly rate.

The improvements delivered to date demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting carers.  I am not in a position to provide any specific information regarding potential budget measures.  Discussions are still ongoing and Government is committed to moving forward on the Programme for Government commitments to Carers.