§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the proportion of the total social security budget which will be spent on the invalid care allowance and the carer premium in 1993–94.
§ Mr. ScottInvalid care allowance represents 0.53 per cent. of the total social security budget, excluding administration costs, for 1993–94.
Carer premium is not a benefit in its own right, but is a factor in the calculation of the income-related benefits—income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit. Reliable data on expenditure on carer premium alone are not available for 1993–94.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of national average earnings the current level of invalid care allowance represents; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottIn April 1993, the latest date for which figures are available, invalid care allowance represented 10.6 per cent. of national average earnings.
It provides a measure of income maintenance and is not intended to be a wage for carers.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current annual cost of benefits for carers.
§ Mr. ScottIt is not possible to estimate the full cost of benefits which a carer may receive. Planned expenditure on invalid care allowance, which is specifically intended for carers, is £510 million for 1994–95.
Source: Departmental Report 1994.