Carers (Hansard, 8 February 1999)

§ The Prime Minister

The Government's National Strategy for Carers, "Caring about Carers", is being published today. It describes what we have done so far to support people who provide care for their relatives or friends who are sick, disabled, vulnerable or frail. The Government intend to ensure that all of our policies take account of the needs of carers the majority of who are women. We are also introducing some major new initiatives.

I announced plans for a National Strategy for Carers, which I asked my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, South (Mr. Boateng), now the Minister of State, Home Office to lead, on 10 June 1998.

The report of the National Strategy for Carers is the result of a consultative process, involving a large number of Government departments, carers' organisations, representatives of the National Health Service and of local authorities, other voluntary organisations which help to support carers and the people for whom they care, and a number of individual carers.

Two-thirds of carers of working age are in paid employment, and the Government's family-friendly employment strategy will help them to combine paid work with their caring responsibilities. We propose to give carers, like all employees, the right to time off to deal with a family emergency. For those carers who cannot combine paid work with caring, perhaps because they need to care for a large part of each day, our policies are focused on proper support whilst caring and on enabling them to return to work when their caring responsibilities cease.

The National Health Service and local authorities need to provide carers with information about services and to involve them in the planning of those services, so that carers' main needs are met better than they have been in the past. The Government's National Priorities Guidance 37W to health and local authorities will require those authorities to help carers to maintain their physical health and emotional wellbeing.

We have already announced an extra £750 million over the next three years to promote independence through prevention of illness and disease and through rehabilitation. Carers and the people they care for will benefit from this.

In addition, we are providing funding from within the Comprehensive Spending Review Plans, totalling £140 million over the next three years in England, to local authorities to enhance the provision of services which allow carers to take a break from their caring responsibilities. The new ring fenced special grant will total £20 million in 1999–2000, £50 million in 2000–01, and £70 million in 2001–02.

The Government also intend, when Parliamentary time allows, to introduce new legislation to extend local authorities' powers to address carers' needs directly, which is frequently not possible at present.

The Government wish to ensure that all carers have access to a support service in the area in which they live. Health and local authorities, acting together, will be asked to involve carers and their organisations in drawing up jointly agreed plans (for inclusion in their Joint Investment Plans) for provision for carers in their areas, including for carers' support services.

We intend to trial a new question on carers for the 2001 Census. This should provide better information about the distribution of carers between local authority areas and on the numbers of young carers and those from minority ethnic groups.

The Government are also announcing today that the scheme for reductions in council tax for disabled people will be changed from 1 April 2000, so that those who live in accommodation which is valued at band A and which has an extra room which they need because of their disability, or enough floor space to allow wheelchair circulation, should receive a reduction in council tax similar to that currently given for the other bands.

The National Carers' Strategy also contains the Government's proposals to support young carers, including the provision of help for them in schools.

It is the Government's intention to continue work to support carers and to monitor implementation of these new initiatives.