Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the rise in employer National Insurance Contributions on (a) local carer support organisations and (b) their ability to provide support to unpaid carers in their area.

To enable local authorities to support key services such as adult social care, the Government will make up to £3.7 billion of additional funding available for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

The Government is also committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need. To support unpaid carers, from April 2025 the Government will increase the Carer's Allowance weekly earnings limit from £151 a week to £196. This means carers can earn up to £10,000 a year whilst still retaining Carer's Allowance, which is approximately an additional £2,000 a year.