Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to conduct a review of eligibility criteria for carer’s allowance as a result of the number of carers that have been overpaid.

The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance (CA) is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. Around 850,000 carers are being supported through CA at a cost of over £2.8 billion a year (2018/19 forecast expenditure). The rate of CA has increased from £53.90 to £64.60 a week, with a further increase to £66.15 proposed for April 2019 subject to Parliamentary approval, meaning an additional £635 a year for carers since 2010. We continue to keep the key elements of CA under review to ensure it is meeting the needs of carers.

As with all benefits we also continually review detailed operations. This includes reminding carers of the importance of reporting changes of circumstances (including to their earnings) and introducing new technology to help identify and prevent overpayments in the first place.

Carers will also be a fundamental part of the Government’s upcoming Social Care Green Paper. A sustainable settlement for social care will not be possible without focussing on how our society supports carers.