Unpaid Carers: Inequalities

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 20th November 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is a joy to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I thank the hon. Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) for championing the cause of unpaid carers so well, and congratulate her on how she has spent her time in this House. She is always making a name for herself on subjects important to her, such as carers—an issue that we all deal with every day. I also thank the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) for telling us his personal story. Nothing illustrates a debate as well as a personal story, and the hon. Gentleman kindly and compassionately set the scene of what he and his wife do for their child.

This issue affects everybody in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We are all aware that, without unpaid carers, our health and care system would collapse. If we had to pay for taxi services, all- night care and daytime care for those in need, we could never afford it.

The financial contribution made by unpaid carers in Northern Ireland is estimated to be some £5.8 billion annually, which is equivalent to 80% of the Department of Health’s budget. That is an increase of 42% over the last decade. Despite that massive economic value, many carers face significant financial hardship, with one in four living in poverty, rising to more than half for those not in paid employment. They are giving their lives to look after others, and they are living in poverty. Come on—that cannot be right. Juggling income and responsibility for care, their poverty is driven by the extra cost of caring and insufficient social security payments such as carer’s allowance.

Carer’s allowance is worth only £2 per hour—there is no way that could ever be a minimum wage—based on providing a minimum of 35 hours of care.

Young Lives vs Cancer has highlighted the fact that every year in the UK more than 4,200 children and young people aged under 25 are diagnosed with cancer—that is 12 per day—and sadly 10 of them die every week, making cancer the biggest killer by disease of children and young people in the UK.

In many cases, the parents or close family members of a child or young person who has been diagnosed with cancer will be their primary care giver throughout their illness and treatment—never mind the trauma that carers feel as they deal with someone who may not come out the other side. That is the reality of life. That is physically and mentally challenging for families, and the impacts of cancer and its treatment, along with the care needs, can last many years, given the nature of the disability.

The financial impacts of having a child with cancer include the loss of earnings. The families of children and young people with cancer face significant financial pressures and inequalities, which can start during the pre-diagnosis period but continue, and are most significant, following diagnosis. Many have to take time off or give up employment because of caring responsibilities. Seven in 10 households reported a loss of income and earnings because of having to take time to care for their child, or gave up work altogether because there was no other option. The average loss is around £6,000 a year, but for three in 10 households it is £10,000 a year. To try to meet caring needs, parents call on every source of leave and time off that they possibly can, frequently combining options until they are exhausted and, ultimately, the only option is unpaid time off or leaving employment.

The Minister is a kind Minister. I do not just say that; I mean it. We are all making a plea today on behalf of the carers. Yvonne in my office deals with benefits five days a week—sometimes five-and-a-half or six days a week—and the carer issue comes up all the time. We understand it well, and when we speak about it, we are speaking from experience.

In most cases, the carers of young cancer patients are eligible for carer’s allowance only once the child receives another form of benefit. For younger cancer patients, a young person receiving a personal independence payment or a child receiving disability living allowance is a gateway to their families receiving carer’s allowance. However, this leaves carers waiting months for support. There is a time period and a qualifying period, and I am asking that we get the money out as quick as possible. We should not drag our heels on this matter. A young person with cancer is eligible for PIP and DLA after being impacted by their condition for three months; this leaves the families of children and young people with cancer having to find and pay out nearly £5,000 extra in costs before their disability benefits are awarded.

Due to the immediate nature of the costs experienced by families, children and young people with cancer and their families should be entitled to access welfare benefits immediately. If we lose the unpaid care system, our NHS will collapse, and if we do not give families more support, they cannot sustain the situation. The choice seems clear: give more support and take away some of their financial problems and worries.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

--- Later in debate ---

[Stephen Kinnock]

As a ballpark figure, we are looking at 50,000 residents, but we will be open to developing multi-neighbourhood infrastructure that would cover closer to something like 250,000 residents. It will depend, to some extent, on how it works in the 43 pilot sites in our neighbourhood health implementation plan. We do not want to have too many top-down diktats like the disastrous 2012 Lansley reforms; this is much more about a bottom-up, organic approach to developing a neighbourhood health service. Approximately 50,000 residents will be the starting point.

[Jim Shannon]

What the Minister is referring to is very positive; as always, I have a quick ask. The policy he is outlining seems very plausible and workable, so can I ask him to share those thoughts with the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt? I think that the two Ministers are in regular contact, so it could be done through that.

[Stephen Kinnock]

I will be very happy to do that. We have launched the 43 sites, so I would be happy to share the documentation on how we launched them and the terms of reference. [Interruption.] I can see the representative from my private office is taking notes.