Carers (Hansard, 28 January 2002)

§ 22. Mr. Edwards
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on his plans to reform benefits for carers. [28162]

§ Maria Eagle
On 17 December, we laid a draft regulatory reform order before Parliament which, if accepted, will give those aged over 65 the right to claim invalid care allowance for the first time.
The order would also provide for the extension of entitlement to invalid care allowance for up to eight weeks after the death of the person being cared for and a change in the name of the benefit to carer's allowance to reflect more closely the purpose of the benefit.

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking to help carers. [28823]

§ Maria Eagle
In autumn 2000 the Government announced a package of measures to enhance the current social security provision for carers, worth more than £500 million over a three year period. Two of the measures were implemented in April last year. The invalid care allowance (ICA) earnings limit was increased from £50 to £72 per week and the carer premium paid through the income-related benefits was increased from £14.15 to £24.40.
On 17 December 2001, we laid a draft regulatory reform order before Parliament. If accepted, this will give those aged over 65 the right to claim invalid care allowance for the first time; will provide for the extension of entitlement to ICA for up to eight weeks after the death of the person being cared for; and will change the name of the benefit to carer's allowance.