09/05/2012

€17,000 Extra Allowances For Parents With Disabled Children

The Social Protection Minister, Joan Burton, announced last night that parents of disabled children will get almost €17,000 per year in additional care allowance payments.

The new household benefit package will include a carer's allowance and free TV licence, electricity allowance and phone allowance.

Ms Burton highlighted this "very significant expenditure" as she defended the operation of the domiciliary care allowance (DCA) scheme in the Dail last night.

The domiciliary care allowance is designed to help parents with the cost of caring in the home for a severely disabled child under the age of 16. There are around 26,000 children getting the allowance of €309 per month, as well as an annual respite care grant of €1,700.

"Those who receive the carer's allowance and household benefit package, in addition to domiciliary care allowance and the respite care grant, each receive a total of €16,742 per annum from the department," she said.

She said the State was happy to make these payments due to the "heroic and selfless role" that parents play in raising children with severe disabilities. Around 40% of the 26,000 children in the scheme have parents getting the additional carer's and household benefit payments worth €16,742 per year.

(H)


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