Jan. 21 2008
Source Page: Tables showing income support for a) lone parents by ethnicity for each year from 2002 to 2007 and b) lone parents by number of dependants for each year from 1997 to 2007, broken down by region. 57 p.Found: on Income Support with child under 16 and no partner;Carer: claimant entitled to Carer's Allowance;Other
Asked by:
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with the Department for Work and Pensions under the agency agreement for the delivery of Carer's Allowance in Scotland to identify the (a) number of carers affected by overpayment debt and (b) levels of debt accumulated.
Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice
The Scottish Government has urged the DWP to carefully consider people’s individual circumstances before any recovery of Carer’s Allowance overpayments from carers. Discussions are ongoing with the DWP as to potential arrangements for the recovery of any Carer’s Allowance overpayments for carers in Scotland that remain once case transfer is complete and the current Agency Agreement comes to an end.
Asked by:
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reform the threshold element of the Carer Support Payment following the completion of the transfer from Carer's Allowance in Scotland.
Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice
As set out in our response to our 2022 public consultation, we are considering options for reform of the earnings threshold as part of longer-term plans for improvements to Carer Support Payment. These include increasing the earnings threshold and introducing a run-on of support to mitigate the earnings ‘cliff edge’, both of which were supported by the majority of respondents to the consultation. Given the range of views on how the earnings rules for Carer Support Payment could work differently from Carer’s Allowance, we are continuing to consider the responses received. We are also considering research, recently published by the DWP in May, on carers’ experiences of claiming and receiving Carer’s Allowance to inform our approach.
Jan. 31 2024
Source Page: Carer Support Payment: Data Protection Impact AssessmentFound: regulations make provision to establish Carer Support Payment, a replacement benefit in Scotland to UK Carer's
Reform Universal Credit rules for people claiming Carer's Allowance.
- Final Signatures: 55
We want the Government to:
Stop taking Carer's Allowance pound for pound off people's Universal Credit claims and take 55p for every pound instead.
Found: Pay the same rate of Universal Credit to people aged 18 to 24 claiming Carer's Allowance, as paid to
Jan. 12 2024
Source Page: Carers Allowance Supplement - Underlying entitlement: FOI releaseFound: Carers Allowance Supplement - Underlying entitlement: FOI release
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of applications for Carer's allowance that have been delayed for people caring for a child with cancer as a result of delayed (a) Personal Independence Payments and (b) Disability Living Allowance for the child or young person being cared for.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
The information requested on the number of delayed applications is not collected and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
It is a long standing principle that Carer’s Allowance can only be awarded once a decision has been made to award the “trigger” disability benefit to the person being cared for, but the award of Carer’s Allowance can be backdated to the date that the disability benefit is payable from.
Aug. 15 2023
Source Page: Carer's Allowance Supplement, April eligibility date 2023 and Carer’s Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Severe Disablement Allowance at February 2023: statisticsFound: Carer's Allowance Supplement, April eligibility date 2023 and Carer’s Allowance, Disability Living Allowance
Aug. 15 2023
Source Page: Carer's Allowance Supplement, April eligibility date 2023 and Carer’s Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Severe Disablement Allowance at February 2023: statisticsFound: Carer's Allowance Supplement, April eligibility date 2023 and Carer’s Allowance, Disability Living Allowance
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of Carers Allowance and State Pension being overlapping benefits on levels of pensioner poverty.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
No such assessment has been made. Although there is no upper age limit to claiming Carer’s Allowance, it cannot normally be paid with the State Pension. It has been a long-held feature of the UK’s benefit system, under successive Governments, that where someone is entitled to two benefits for the same contingency, then whilst there may be entitlement to both benefits, only one will be paid to avoid duplication for the same need.
Although entitlement to State Pension and Carer’s Allowance arise in different circumstances, they are nevertheless designed for the same contingency – as an income replacement. Carer’s Allowance replaces some income where the carer is not able to work full time due to their caring responsibilities, while State Pension replaces income in retirement. For this reason, social security rules normally operate to prevent them being paid together. However, if a carer’s State Pension is less than Carer's Allowance, State Pension is paid and topped up with Carer's Allowance to the basic weekly rate of Carer's Allowance, which is currently £76.75.
Where underlying entitlement of Carer’s Allowance occurs (all entitlement conditions are met, but the overlapping benefit rule prevents payment), additional financial support may be available through Pension Credit, notably including the additional amount payable to carers. This additional amount is currently £42.75 a week – over £2,200 a year - and around 100,000 carers receive it as part of their Pension Credit award. It is paid to recognise the additional contribution and responsibilities associated with caring and means that lower income pensioners with caring responsibilities can receive more than other lower income recipients of Pension Credit. If a pensioner’s income is above the limit for Pension Credit, they may still be able to receive Housing Benefit.
The Government is committed to action that helps to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty. The State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people. In April 2023 the State Pension was increased by 10.1% and, subject to parliamentary approval, will be increased by a further 8.5% increase from April 2024. In 2021/22, there were 200,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty after housing costs than in 2009/10. As far as pensioner carers are concerned, additional financial support is already available, focussed on those in most need.