Co Cavan has seen a significant increase in the number of people receiving domiciliary care allowance in the past few years according to a new report.
Domiciliary care allowance is a monthly payment for parents or guardians of a child under 16 with a severe disability, it is not means-tested.
The Irish Times is reporting that figures released to it under the Freedom of Information legislation show that in some places in Ireland the increase is as much as 46%.
The increase in Co Cavan was amoung the highest at 43.3%. 651 people were in receipt of the payment in 2020 compared to 933 in 2024.
Co Monaghan also saw an increase. In 2020, 482 people were receiving the payment, in 2024 that number rose to 672, an increase of 39.4%.
According to the Irish Times, nationally, the total number of domiciliary care allowance recipients at the end of 2024 was 57,364, this is an increase of 30% compared with 2020 when the number stood at 44,279.