Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of increasing the level of carer's allowance.

There is a statutory annual review of benefit and pensions undertaken in the Autumn. The level of Carer’s Allowance is protected by up-rating it each year in line with the Consumer Prices Index. Since 2010, the rate of Carer’s Allowance has increased from £53.90 to £76.75 a week, providing just under an additional £1200 a year for carers through Carer’s Allowance.

The outcome of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions’ review for 2023 will be announced later this year, following the publication of the relevant indices by the Office for National Statistics, and the new rates will enter into force from April 2024.