The Minister for Social and Family Affairs has said he is interested in "doing something special" for carers this year.
Speaking to The Irish Times after an hour-long meeting with the Carers' Association, Mr Brennan said there were three issues in the association's submission he intended paying particular attention to.
These are the "dual eligibility" rule that people already in receipt of one social welfare payment cannot be eligible for the carers' allowance; that the means test for the allowance should take into account only the carer's income and not include their spouse's; and that the allowance should be increased from €139.60 per week to €190, bringing it into line with the nursing home subvention rate.
Yesterday's meeting was the first of 30 planned with lobby groups in advance of the Budget. Mr Brennan invited all those at last week's pre-Budget forum to meet him.
Asked which of the Carers' Association issues he thought he would be able to deliver on, he said he was particularly interested in helping with the dual-eligibility rule. He was interested in a mechanism suggested by the association which would mean that those already in receipt of a widower's pension, old-age pension or lone parent allowance would be eligible for a portion of the carer's allowance.
"I have asked my officials to cost that and come back to me," he said.
The association is also seeking the introduction of a family tax credit for caring work; tax relief for expenses associated with caring work; a medical card for all carers; and the development of a national strategy for carers.
"This would contain a clear development programme for carers, consultation mechanisms, targets for service development and a plan for co-ordinating support services," said Mr Enda Egan, CEO of the association.
There are 149,000 family carers in Ireland, 50,000 full-time and 99,000 part-time.
