Carer's Benefit
Dail Éireann — 2020-12-03
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Heather Humphreys (FG), Cavan-Monaghan

We cannot change the principle that benefits are paid to the contributor. As the Deputy mentioned, the means-tested carer's allowance is available. The means test has a generous disregard of €665 for a couple. I understand that there are difficult situations, but we have extended supports for the self-employed. For example, they can now get jobseeker's benefit. This is why many self-employed have been able to benefit from the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, which is only right and proper. Many extra benefits have been made available to the self-employed, but in the case outlined, extending a benefit in the way the Deputy requested to attach it to someone else's contributions would represent a fundamental change in the social welfare system.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2020-12-03/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:53+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-12-03