Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial assistance her Department provides to parents who leave work to undertake full-time care for a child with a disability.

The Department recognises that carers provide invaluable support for relatives, partners and friends who may be ill, frail or disabled. As such, there is an additional amount of benefit payable in Universal Credit to support carers who provide care of 35 hours or more each week for a severely disabled person. For claimants who meet these requirements an additional 160.20 per month is included in their Universal Credit entitlement for caring.

Carer’s Allowance is also available to provide a measure of financial support for those who give up full-time employment to care for a severely disabled person for at least 35 hours a week. The rate of Carer’s Allowance has increased from £53.90 in 2010 to £66.15 a week, meaning an additional £635 a year for carers since 2010.