Adrian Sanders MP has co-sponsored a campaign in Parliament to tackle the current inadequacy of financial support for carers.
Currently, the Carer’s Allowance is available to those who spend in excess of 35 hours a week caring for a person receiving Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance. The Carer’s Allowance for 2008-09 is £50.55 per week and cannot be claimed if the carer earns in excess of £95 per week or if they receive other benefits, including state pension, to the same or higher value as the allowance. The allowance is the equivalent of just under 9 hours pay at the minimum wage and the maximum received on an hourly basis by a carer is £1.44.
Carers UK have recently released new statistics that demonstrate the alarming position carers are put under as living costs continue to rise and the economic crisis is affecting an increasing number of families. Their statistics demonstrate that now more than half of all carers are in debt as a result of caring, compared to one third last year and that nearly two thirds of carers are spending their own savings or income on the people they care for.
Early Day Motion 444, which Adrian has sponsored, calls for the Government to review the benefits received by carers to ensure that they are given a fair deal.
Adrian commented: “The Government is failing to adequately support carers and this is causing a worrying amount of debt for many carers. The low level of financial support is appalling and the complexities of the system also mean that many full-time carers are not eligible for Carer’s Allowance despite surviving on a low income. The Government must urgently review the funding of carers.”
“The Carers UK campaign, ‘Real change not short change’, highlights the need for a fresh and fair approach, and I fully support it.”
Recent Comments