Major Increase to Carer’s Allowance Income Limits Will Benefit Families across County Clare from Thursday, July 3rd.

“Carers are the backbone of our communities, providing vital and often unseen support to our loved ones, friends, and neighbours. Their tireless dedication deserves more than just words; it requires real, practical action” said Cathal Crowe, Fianna Fáil TD for Clare

From Thursday, July 3rd, Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary will implement an increase to the income disregard for the Carer’s Allowance. The weekly disregard will rise from €450 to €625 for single carers, and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse or partner. This reform will extend eligibility for the Carer’s Allowance to more people than ever before, while many existing recipients will see an increase in their payments. The change represents an 88 percent rise in income disregards since June 2022, reflecting Fianna Fáil’s continued commitment to supporting carers in a meaningful and practical way.

In County Clare, there will be a significant increase in the number of careers receiving the allowance, furthermore, 107 carers currently receiving the allowance will see their weekly payments increase.

Speaking on the matter, Deputy Crowe said:

“We all know the vital role carers play across our county and country. It is only right that their invaluable work is properly recognised and supported.

Starting Thursday, 107 families in Clare currently receiving Carer’s Allowance will benefit from this change to the income thresholds while others will now be eligible for the Allowance for the first time. This is a meaningful step that will ease pressure on families and acknowledge the crucial role carers have in our community.”

As announced in Budget 2025, these changes mean a carer in a two-adult household earning up to €69,000 will now receive the full Carer’s Allowance, while those with incomes up to €97,000 may still qualify for a partial payment. From July, 99% of current recipients will qualify for the full-rate payment.

The Carer’s Allowance supports over 100,000 carers across Ireland. In 2025, spending on this allowance is expected to exceed €1.24 billion. In addition, the Department of Social Protection provides non-means-tested supports such as the Carer’s Benefit and the annual Carer’s Support Grant of €2,000, which was recently paid to more than 138,000 carers on June 5th.

“This is not the final step, but real progress towards Fianna Fáil’s commitment to abolish the means test for Carer’s Allowance,” Deputy Cathal Crowe said. “I look forward to working closely with the Minister to continue strengthening support for our careers in the future.

“We know carers across Clare deserve more than just our thanks; they deserve real, practical support. That is we are taking action and delivering meaningful improvements. This increase is part of our continued commitment to supporting the vital work carers do in homes and communities every day.”

Clare Fianna Fáil TD, Cathal Crowe is calling on the Minister for Education to recognise teacher volunteer hours as being part of the of additional out-of-hours work required by primary school teachers under the Croke Park Agreement.

Deputy Crowe, who is the Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth, made the call during an appearance of the Minister for Education and Youth before the committee on Wednesday 18th June.

The Croke Park Agreement, which became operational in February 2011, requires teachers to work an additional 36 hours at primary level and 33 hours at second level to provide for a range of activities to take place without reducing class contact time.

Deputy Crowe is calling for the important work of teachers who contribute to the school’s sporting and social life to be recognised by allowing these hours to be put towards the mandatory hours under the agreement.

According to Deputy Crowe: “I’m calling on the Minister for Education to review the Croke Park agreement as it pertains to teachers.

“Every single day of the week, teachers give up a huge amount of time on a voluntary basis after school to coach sports teams, take choir practice sessions, and to lead all sorts of extracurricular activities. These hours are given freely out of a teacher’s own time and takes them away from their families.

“Prior to my election to the Dáil in 2020, I worked as a primary school teacher and would voluntarily coach school teams two afternoons a week. I know from teaching colleagues from around the country that this is replicated in almost every school around Ireland. Indeed, the Cumann na mBunscol organisation, which coaches and leads inter-school competitions at primary school level, is often glowingly mentioned on the steps of Croke Park on All-Ireland Sunday. The Cumann na mBunscol organisation is part of the backbone of the GAA nationally and without the incredible coaching that goes on in schools, the GAA would not be what it is today.

“Additionally, at second level, much of the recent success of inter-county GAA teams and indeed the Irish Rugby Team is contributed to the high level of coaching provided by teachers and volunteers after school each day.

“Aside from teaching, I am aware of many other fabulous, non-sporting activities that are led by teachers on a voluntary basis each day after school. These include yoga, cookery lessons, speech and drama, dance classes, photography clubs and chess.

“It would win huge good-will with teachers if the Minister accepted that all of this voluntary work could be considered part of the hours of additional work that the Croke Park agreement requires of them. The deal has been in place for well over a decade now and I’m glad that the Minister has agreed to me that a review will shortly take place with the unions representing teachers. I hope that my ask can be included in this because the status quo is rather demeaning to teachers who give so much and help to shape the lives of children and adolescents so positively and yet the current Croke Park agreement recognises none of this.

“What I am suggesting would cost the exchequer absolutely nothing but it would, in policy terms, recognise and place a high value on the after-school volunteerism of teachers and it would be a major nod of respect to those who give so much to the profession and the children that are under the tutelage beyond the standard school day.”

SEAI Grants make upgrading your home easy, affordable, and comfortable.

When you are retrofitting your home, it can become a costly exercise. That is why in Fianna Fáil we are supporting homeowners to retrofit their homes to make their homes more energy efficient and to promote the adoption of renewable energy systems.

Since 2020, Fianna Fáil in government has invested over €1 billion in energy upgrades. Administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, these schemes include grants for the fabric upgrade of buildings (e.g. insulation), as well as solar PV and heat pump installation.

These energy grants are having a major impact on upgrades to homes across the country. Minister Darragh O’Brien at the Department of Climate, Energy, and Environment will deliver a record capital budget of €550 million for the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes for 2025 which will support over 64,500 home energy upgrades.

Deputy Cathal Crow, TD for Clare, has said there has been an investment of €17,245,468 in retrofitting in Clare since 2020, something Deputy Crowe says is vital to meeting our climate targets.

Speaking on the matter he said: “The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time. There’s no alternative facing us, we must front up and deal with this urgently.

“Through the administration of Government funds through the SEAI, we have invested over €1 billion in retrofitting homes across the country. These grants are not enough in themselves, but a collective effort is needed to deal with this crisis.

“4,425 properties across Clare have been retrofitted to date, with funding of over €17 million allocated. This is vital for Clare. It significantly reduces the cost of retrofitting homes for homeowners, and enables us to make homes greener, reduce energy bills, and make them more sustainable places for us to live in.

Data from the SEAI show that in the period from 2020 to date almost 179,000 energy upgrades across all counties have been supported through the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including the Solar PV Scheme.

In total over 184,000 properties have availed of energy upgrades across the country since 2020, with €1,025,586,672 allocated for such upgrades.

Deputy Crowe has encouraged all constituents across Clare to take full advantage of the SEAI grant to retrofit their homes, making them more energy-efficient, sustainable, and comfortable to live in.

“There are significant benefits for homeowners who avail of these grants,” Deputy Crowe said. “Home upgrades, lower energy bills, and a reduced carbon footprint are just some of the positive outcomes.”

He concluded: “I strongly encourage constituents throughout Clare to apply for these grants. Real action on the climate crisis begins in our homes and in our communities – and this is a practical, impactful step in the right direction.”