HC Deb 08 March 2001 vol 364 cc295-6W
Ms Buck

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he plans to take to ensure that carers who will become entitled to Invalid Care Allowance as a result of the new package of measures for carers being introduced in April are made aware of their potential entitlement and encouraged to claim Invalid Care Allowance. [152331]

Mr. Bayley

There are two elements of the carer package which will be implemented in April—the increase in the carer premium and the increase in the Invalid Care Allowance (ICA) earnings limit.

The increase in the carer premium which is paid with Income Related Benefits has been publicised along with the details of benefit uprating. This will be paid automatically and additional claims will not be required.

The earnings limit in ICA will increase to £72 a week, after allowable expenses, in April. This will enable more carers to retain their benefit while working. The change in the limit was announced last autumn and a further reminder to carers will be issued in a Press Release nearer the date of the change.

In addition, all working carers who make claims for ICA in the six months period from 2 January 2001 to 2 July 2001 and are disallowed, regardless of the reason, are being advised of the earnings limit increase.

1. Ms Buck

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to ensure that carers who have an underlying entitlement to Invalid Care Allowance

Average clearance time between date of receipt at the Appeals Service and date cleared expressed in weeks
Leeds Cardiff Birmingham Glasgow Liverpool Salford Nottingham Newcastle Sutton
1 October to 1 December 1997 16.7 24.5 20.8 20.0 34.0 50.5 22.1 16.7 14.1
1 January to 31 March 1998 20.1 26.1 29.9 25.6 30.5 38.0 28.3 20.9 22.9
1 April to 30 June 1998 21.0 33.6 30.5 30.7 37.5 42.7 31.4 25.7 24.6
1 July to 30 September 1998 22.6 35.8 32.5 29.8 34.0 37.8 36.6 27.4 27.5
1 October to 31 December 1998 24.7 32.4 32.9 32.6 33.7 37.1 35.4 26.3 34.3
1 January to 1 March 1999 23.4 33.7 36.4 33.8 32.9 35.3 41.8 26.4 45.6
1 April to 30 June 1999 22.3 32.3 33.8 36.1 31.1 36.3 42.1 25.6 39.1
1 July to 30 September 1999 16.9 30.1 30.7 35.7 25.3 31.5 35.9 24.3 34.1
1 October to 31 October 1999 14.3 32.0 22.5 31.2 20.6 32.8 41.6 18.6 34.7
1 November to 30 November 1999 14.1 33.2 25.5 30.8 18.4 35.3 30.6 20.8 29.6
1 December to 31 December 1999 11.2 30.5 27.9 32.9 16.3 24.8 31.3 18.8 32.0
1 January to 31 January 2000 14.2 29.4 29.8 27.6 21.6 20.3 33.1 20.0 30.6
1 February to 28 February 2000 12.9 27.6 27.7 28.8 15.0 20.5 29.6 18.8 25.5
1 March to 31 March 2000 9.7 24.9 26.8 24.5 13.1 28.1 26.2 20.1 23.5
1 April to 30 April 2000 10.1 21.4 20.1 24.0 11.4 19.7 25.1 16.2 27.1
1 May to 31 May 2000 10.2 27.9 17.5 21.8 14.0 18.5 20.7 15.2 22.3
1 June to 30 June 2000 11.1 19.1 16.0 20.4 16.1 18.2 20.1 18.2 20.3
1 July to 31 July 2000 11.5 21.0 15.3 16.7 15.7 18.7 20.1 14.5 24.4
1 August to 31 August 2000 11.6 20.3 16.3 17.1 15.6 18.7 22.8 12.5 19.4
1 September to 30 September 2000 11.7 21.7 15.1 15.1 15.1 17.2 17.1 13.3 17.4

Notes:

Source: 100 per cent. download from the Appeals Service GAPS computer system.

2. All figures are provisional and are subject to change.

3. The statistics do not cover the period from the date the appeal was lodged at the first tier agency or from issue of decision to the date the first tier agency received it.

4. Clearance times include appeals that took more than one hearing to reach a decision.

I hope this information is useful.

but who do not receive any payment due to the overlapping benefits rules are made aware that they may qualify for income support as a result of being eligible for the carer's premium. [152332]

Mr. Bayley

Since its inception in 1976, Invalid Care Allowance (ICA) has been subject to the overlapping benefits rules and will continue to be so.

Customers who are entitled to ICA but have another income maintenance benefit which overlaps, are advised in the decision letter that they may be entitled to carer premium paid as part of the income related benefits, and that it could be in their interest to claim such benefits, even if recently refused.