Online application service for Domiciliary Care Allowance now available

Domiciliary Care Allowance is a non-taxable monthly payment to a parent/guardian for a child under 16 with a disability. 

Families caring for children with disabilities can now apply for supports through an online portal.

Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary has announced that an online application service for Domiciliary Care Allowance is now available.

This is part of an extension of online services and is part of a plan to have 90% of services online by 2030.

Domiciliary Care Allowance is a non-taxable monthly payment to a parent/guardian for a child under 16 with a disability. 

The child must require ongoing care and attention, substantially over and above what is needed by a child of the same age.

“This is a meaningful development for families across the country. The introduction of an online application service for Domiciliary Care Allowance will make the process more accessible and efficient, ensuring that families can apply with greater ease and receive support in a timely manner," Mr Calleary said.

"It reflects the Government’s commitment to modernise public services and support those who care for children with complex needs.”

More than 58,000 families are currently in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance.

Recipients also automatically qualify for the carer’s support grant.

Meanwhile, the Government have been accused of "siding with union-busting low-pay bosses against workers", after comments made by minister Alan Dillon during a debate in the Dáil.

Explaining why the Government opposes a People Before Profit bill, Mr Dillon said the current voluntary system of recognising unions “has served us well” in particular pointing to “Ireland’s attractiveness as an investment location” and supporting “productivity and fair wages, especially in low-paid sectors”.

Paul Murphy said these comments “let the cat out of the bag” and shows that the Government is “voting against workers' rights to placate anti-union, low-pay companies like Ryanair and Amazon”.

“Ireland is an outlier when it comes to trade union rights," Mr Muprhy said. 

"Even in the US, if enough workers join a union, bosses have to recognise that union and negotiate with them. 

"But in Ireland we have a so-called ‘voluntary system’ which allows bosses to simply refuse to talk to the union."

He added that "anti-union, low-pay companies" have been served very well by this policy, but "it has led to Ireland having a very high level of low pay, and workers being denied a voice at work".