Campaign reply - Please write to the Chancellor on my behalf, calling for more financial support for unpaid carers

Thank you for contacting my office. I very much appreciate you getting in touch about support for carers and unpaid carers.

I recognise the valuable contribution made by carers of all kinds - residential, domiciliary, paid, unpaid - many of whom spend a significant proportion of their life providing support to family members, friends and neighbours.

I completely agree that carers must receive the right support to help them carry out their caring roles. A tenth of adults in the UK provide unpaid care for a friend or family member, and these people should be supported in the invaluable work they do.

Good progress is being made in implementing the Carers Action Plan 2018-2020, including increased awareness amongst employers of the impact that caring has on their workforce, and support for health and social care professionals to better identify and work with carers.

The Government is continuing to support the implementation of improved rights for carers, enshrined in the Care Act 2014. Carers Allowance will be increased to £69.70 per week in 2022, and I am pleased that over the last twelve years successive changes will have provided an additional £800 a year for carers.  The Government is also continuing a programme to modernise the delivery of Carer’s Allowance.

I am delighted that the Government’s Social Care White Paper, which outlined a number of measures to support carers and unpaid carers.  The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will introduce a Carer’s Leave entitlement of five days of unpaid leave per year for eligible employees.

Going forward, NHS England at a national level and Integrated Care Boards at a local level will have a duty to involve carers when care is being commissioned for their loved one.  The Department for Education (DfE) will be amending the School Census to include young carers.

In addition, the Government will be investing £25 million to improve the services provided to support unpaid carers, including respite, breaks and peer group and wellbeing support.

Thank you once again for getting in touch, and if I can be of further assistance with any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.