§ 17. Ms Linda Perham (Ilford, North)Which groups of elderly carers will gain from his recently announced changes in benefits for carers. [141818]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security (Mr. Hugh Bayley)We intend to remove the upper age limit for claims to invalid care allowance. Subject to parliamentary approval, this measure will allow carers aged 65 and older who meet the normal entitlement conditions to be awarded ICA. Carers whose rate of basic state pension is less than the rate of ICA will benefit, as will carers receiving the pensioner minimum income guarantee, who will receive the carer premium.
§ Ms PerhamI thank the Minister for that answer. Is he aware that those measures are widely welcomed in my constituency, especially those for older carers? On the day that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the uprating of benefits in November, I was addressing the annual meeting of Redbridge Carers Association. It particularly welcomed the extension of ICA for over 65-year-olds. How many people will benefit from this measure and from the eight-week run-on for the bereavement allowance for over 65s?
§ Mr. BayleyI pay tribute to the work that my hon. Friend has done, in both her constituency and the House, on behalf of carers. Our announcement to extend eligibility to apply for ICA to people over 65 has been warmly welcomed. For instance, the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation wrote:
We are particularly pleased that older carers will now have their work recognised by the extension of "carers allowance" to people over 65.We believe that 40,000 pensioners will gain as a result of the changes that we intend to make. Some 15,000 will gain eligibility to ICA, and some 25,000 will gain entitlement to the carer premium.