Carers: Cost of Living

(asked on 25th April 2022) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the basic cost of living for an informal carer.


Answered by
Simon Clarke Portrait
Simon Clarke
This question was answered on 28th April 2022

Every informal carer's situation will vary depending on their personal circumstances, so it is not possible to come to a generalised conclusion about the basic cost of living for an informal carer.

Carers and their vital contribution to society are also recognised within the welfare system. Carers can receive additional support through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Universal Credit and through Pension Credit. The weekly rate of Carer’s Allowance has increased to £69.70 (April 2022). Around 360,000 carer households on Universal Credit can receive an additional £1,965 a year through the Carer Element, ensuring that extra support is focused on those carers who need it most. This amount has increased from April 2022, benefitting carers across the country.

At each fiscal event HM Treasury has regularly published distributional analysis of the impact of tax, welfare and spending decisions on households. Distributional analysis published at Spring Statement 2022 shows that in 2024-25, the tax, welfare and spending decisions made since Spending Round 2019 will have benefitted the poorest households most (as a percentage of income). The government will continue to keep the situation under review.

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