§ Mr. WoodwardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional resources the Government made available for respite care since 1997 in(a) the UK, (b) the north west region and (c) St. Helens. [137979]
§ Dr. LadymanThe Carers Grant was introduced in 1999 to support local councils in arranging short breaks services for carers. It has provided an extra £325 million over five years to increase the number of breaks for carers.
The Carers Grant allocations since 1999 are shown in the table.
615W
England (£ million) North west region (£) St. Helens (£) 1999–2000 20 2,719,403 71,679 2000–01 50 6,855,503 177,417 2001–02 70 9,469,014 245,713 2002–03 85 11,451,858 297,557 2003–04 100 14,087,110 393,460
§ Mr. WoodwardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's policy for the provision of respite care for carers is. [137980]
§ Dr. LadymanCarers are entitled to an assessment to determine their needs as carers and eligibility for support including short-term breaks. The Carers Grant, worth £100 million this year, provides money for local councils to provide short breaks and other services for carers to enable them to take a break. The introduction of the short-term break voucher scheme earlier this year provides more choice and flexibility for service users and their carers.