Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the carer's allowance for supporting unpaid carers with their living costs.

This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by carers in supporting some of the most vulnerable in society.

The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person.  It is not a “carer’s wage” or designed to fully replace the income from work that an unpaid carer may have foregone. The current rate of Carer’s Allowance is £69.70 per week. From April, the rate will increase to £76.75 per week. This means that, since 2010, it will have increased from £53.90 to £76.75 a week, providing around an additional £1200 a year for carers through Carer’s Allowance.

In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers on low incomes can claim income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These benefits can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the carer element and the additional amount for carers respectively. From April, the Universal Credit carer element will be £185.86 per monthly assessment period, and the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit will be £42.75 a week.

Around 489,000 (November 2022 data) carer households on Universal Credit can currently receive around an additional £2,000 a year through the carer element and this will increase to an additional £2,200 a year from April. The Government has chosen to focus extra support on those carers who need it most.