Thousands of carers across Ireland are set to benefit from what has been described as the largest ever increase to the Carer’s Allowance means test, which comes into effect on 2 July, according to Fine Gael TD John Paul O'Shea.

The weekly income disregard threshold for Carer's Allowance will rise significantly, increasing from €625 to €1,000 for a single person and from €1,250 to €2,000 for a couple. The changes mean that a two-adult household earning up to approximately €110,000 will now retain the full Carer’s Allowance payment, with partial payments extending to households earning up to around €138,000. John Paul O'Shea, Chair of the Oireachtas Social Protection Committee, said: "Carers are the backbone of our communities. They provide extraordinary care, often at enormous personal sacrifice, and for too long the system has failed to recognise that properly. These changes are the biggest increase to the disregards in the history of the scheme, and the numbers speak for themselves: of the nearly 108,000 people getting Carer’s Allowance, 99.9% are now on the maximum rate."

He added that 389 carers in Cork will see an increase in their payments from today.

"In Cork, 389 carers will see their payments increase form today. I have heard from so many carers in Cork North-West for who these changes cannot come soon enough. This is something we pushed hard for and I am glad to see it now becoming a reality.”

"A single carer working part-time can now earn up to €50,000 and keep their full payment – more than double the average part-time wage. That's a real recognition that caring and working shouldn’t be treated as mutually exclusive."