Supporting Our Unpaid Carers: it’s time to end the Carer’s Allowance Scandal

As the MP for Mid Sussex, I am incredibly proud to represent such a vibrant community, but I’m also acutely aware that our area has an older-than-average population. This makes issues like health and social care particularly urgent for our constituency. 

Last week was the Liberal Democrats’ first ‘opposition day’ in Parliament for fifteen years. Most of the time, the parliamentary agenda is set by the government, but opposition days allow the second and third largest parties to choose the subject for debate. We chose to focus upon access to primary healthcare services, and the Carer’s Allowance Scandal.

Carer’s Allowance is the main benefit for carers, if you spend a lot of time looking after someone with an illness or disability, you may be able to claim this benefit, which is currently worth £81.90 a week. There is a cliff-edge though: if you earn more than £151 per week, then all money received from the Carer’s allowance has to be repaid. For more than five years, there has been a growing alarm from backbench MPs, and charities and the Guardian over how the Department for Work and Pensions goes about trying to reclaim money from carers who through honest minor infractions have fallen into this bracket. It is shocking that the DWP has been slow to inform people they are breaching the earnings threshold, in some cases leading to a carer racking up thousands of pounds of debt that they have then been taken to court to repay. These bureaucratic failures push people to the brink and make it harder for them to continue their vital caregiving roles. Unpaid carers, who save the government billions, deserve financial support not more stress. The government must ensure that the system is fairer and more supportive.

As the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Care and Carers, I had the honour of delivering our closing speech during this debate. With news breaking on the eve of the debate that the government would carry out an independent review into Carer's Allowance overpayments I argued that whilst this announcement was welcome, it should just be the start. We need to wipe the overpayments that the DWP have failed to deal with for many years. We should look at introducing a tapered allowance system that would help prevent this unfair “all-or-nothing” situation where minor mistakes lead to harsh penalties. More fundamentally, the culture at the DWP must change to ensure carers are treated with respect rather than suspicion.

I was disappointed that Labour MPs voted against our motion, but just as disappointing was the Conservatives who didn’t vote at all. Carers are the backbone of our communities, and they deserve better from their government and the official opposition. I and my Lib Dem colleagues will keep fighting for change to ensure that the state reflects the respect and care that carers themselves so generously provide every day.