§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he proposes to review the present qualifying roles for the carer premium.
§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will extend payment of invalid care allowance for a period beyond the time that a person's caring responsibilities come to an end.
§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many carers he expects to benefit from changes to invalid care allowance and carer premium from next April; and at what cost.
§ Mr. ScottAll carers currently in receipt of invalid care allowance and the carer premium will benefit from the uprating of benefits which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 12 November 1992.
We expect a further 3,000 carers to benefit from the increase in the invalid care allowance earnings limit at a cost of £3 million.
§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current annual cost of benefits for carers.
§ Mr. ScottWe estimate that the cost of invalid care allowance for the year 1992–93 will be £301 million. Separate figures are not held on the cost of the carer premium.
§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will extend eligibility for invalid care allowance to carers providing care and support for someone in receipt of the lower care component of disability living allowance.
§ Mr. ScottWe have no plans to do so.
The purpose of invalid care allowance is to provide a measure of financial assistance to those who forego the opportunity of full-time work to provide regular and substantial care to a severely disabled person. It is doubtful whether a person receiving the lower rate care component of disability living allowance would require such substantial care.
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§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for increasing the level of take-up of the carer premium on means tested benefits.
§ Mr. BurtThe carer premium is already well-publicised in a number of ways and we continually monitor the provision of information about benefits. Information about the whole range of premiums is given in a number of leaflets about income support, housing benefit and community charge benefit. In addition specific information about the carer premium is contained in leaflet FB31 (Caring for someone?), which has been well received by carers and their organisations, in the ICA claim pack and award notices and in the income support claim pack.
§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals he has further to improve financial support for carers.
§ Mr. ScottI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend, the Member for Hertfordshire, West (Mr. Jones) on 12 November 1992 at columns906–24 and, in particular cols 910–11.
§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals he has to increase the basic rate of invalid care allowance.
§ Mr. ScottI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, West (Mr. Jones) on 12 November 1992 at columns906–24. Apart from this, we have no plans to do so.
§ Mr. BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress has been made in implementing the specific improvements in financial support for carers proposed by the fifth report from the House of Commons Social Services Committee of 1989–90, "Community Care: Carers" (HC 410).
§ Miss WiddecombeThe Government's reply to the report was contained in "The Government's Plans for the Future of Community Care" (Cm 1343) a copy of which is in the Library.