Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to those in receipt of Carers Allowance in the context of the rise in the cost of living.

The Government recognises the difficulties that carers are facing due to the rising cost of living and values the vital contribution made by carers to society. That is why millions of the most vulnerable households, including carers, will receive at least £1,200 of one-off support in total this year to help with the cost of living.  Nearly 60% of the 1 million working age Carer’s Allowance recipients receive a means-tested benefit, a disability benefit, or both and will therefore benefit from one or both of the £650 Means-Tested Benefit Cost of Living Payment and the £150 disability Cost of Living Payment. Carers with a pensioner in the household will benefit from an extra £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment and carers will benefit from the £400 per household universal support provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Previously announced measures to help people tackle the cost of living will also benefit carers, including cuts to the Universal Credit (UC) taper rate, cuts to fuel duty, raising the NICs threshold, council tax rebates and the rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour.

For carers that are not eligible for Cost of Living Payments or for those that need additional support, the government is providing an extra £500 million of local support, via the Household Support Fund. The Fund will be extended from this October to March 2023, bringing total funding for the scheme to £1.5 billion.