Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of uncoupling Carer’s Allowance and Blue Badges from PIP.

It is a long-established principle that in order for an unpaid carer to receive Carer’s Allowance the person they are caring for should be receiving a “trigger” disability benefit. This link acts as a proxy for establishing that care needs exist. We have no plans to break this link. Support for unpaid carers is, of course, a devolved matter to the Scottish Parliament.

Access to Blue Badges is a matter for the Department for Transport and the Devolved Administrations.