Adult Social Care: Long-term Workforce Plan

Lord Palmer of Childs Hill Excerpts

Monday 13th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The workforce plan will be about employed members of staff. On unpaid carers, I am glad to remind your Lordships’ House that, from April, we will be increasing the carer’s allowance weekly earnings limit from £151 to £196, which is the largest increase in the earnings limit since the carer’s allowance was introduced in 1976. I hope that gives some indication of the mode of direction of this Government in respect of unpaid carers.

[Lord Palmer of Childs Hill (LD)]

My Lords, was the Minister listening to the answers to the previous question on the problems with the charity sector? Does she believe that the restrictions on revenue in the charity sector will have an effect on her department as well?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I was indeed listening very closely to the questions put to my noble friend, and have been asked them myself on a number of occasions in this House. On national insurance contributions, the Chancellor did take that into account when deciding the funding for the Department of Health and Social Care, and made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025-26. In addition to other further uplifts, I want to identify the £86 million uplift in disabled facility grants that will promote independence and allow some 7,800 adaptations to be made to homes in the very near future.