Debate contribution: Support for Carers

Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on 10 February 2025.

MLA

Mr Gordon Lyons

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

10 February 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Support for Carers

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4791120

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Member for West Belfast Mr Carroll for tabling the motion and all the Members who have contributed to the debate. I was going to say a number of things in response, but many Members, from across the House, have already said them. We are, I think, united in this place this evening in recognising the value, effort and sacrifices of carers right across Northern Ireland. I add my tributes to those who play such a vital role in our local community. They give so much to others, and I sincerely thank them for the enormous contribution that they make to those who live with severe health conditions and disabilities. It is evident that there are many root causes of the challenges that unpaid carers face. Support for that group is a matter that cuts across the remit of many Departments. My Department has responsibility for carer's allowance, the principal benefit in the social security system that is targeted at unpaid carers. We all know what the primary purpose of carer's allowance is: to provide a measure of financial support for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care of at least 35 hours a week to a severely disabled person who is in receipt of certain disability benefits. It is not and was never intended to be a carer's wage, nor is it a payment for the services of caring. How could it be? It does not come close. Since taking up my ministerial post 12 months ago, I have received a high volume of correspondence and responded to Assembly questions for oral and written answer about carer issues and about the carer's allowance being reformed. I have heard many calls for the eligibility criteria and the main rules for receiving the benefit to be reviewed, as well as requests for the weekly rate to be increased significantly or for top-up payments to be provided. It is therefore important that I highlight the parameters within which the social security system here operates. We are aware of the legislative framework, which places a duty on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and me to seek to maintain a single system of social security between the two jurisdictions. That legislative framework, combined with the statement of funding policy, means that we are fully funded by the UK Government for benefit costs, as long as parity is maintained. Any deviation that involves additional expenditure needs to be met out of the Northern Ireland block grant and must compete with other Executive priorities. Carer's allowance has one of the most complex interactions with other benefits in the social security system. Any decision to diverge from parity could have significant financial and other administrative implications. I assure Members, however, that I recognise the challenges that many unpaid carers face, such as balancing employment with caring responsibilities. As was mentioned, the Government announced in the recent Budget that, from April, the weekly earnings limit for carer's allowance will be linked to a formula that is equivalent to 16 times the rate of the national living wage. That means that, from April, the weekly earnings threshold will increase from £151 to £196. It is the largest increase in the earnings limit since the benefit was introduced in 1976. It will enable carers to earn more money from paid work while remaining eligible for the benefit. I confirm that my Department will shortly introduce legislation to ensure that carers in Northern Ireland benefit from that important change to carer's allowance. It is estimated that around 2,500 more carers will be able to access carer's allowance by 2029-2030 as a result of that change. Of course, carer's allowance is not the only financial support that is available to unpaid carers. Depending on individual circumstances, a carer may be eligible for a range of help through the welfare system. Those carers who are on a low income may be able to access additional financial support through income-related benefits, such as UC. Those benefits also include extra premiums and elements for caring. It is also important that unpaid carers be aware of my Department's Make the Call service, which can carry out an entitlement check to ensure that people are accessing all the benefits, supports and services that are available to them. I ask that Members be aware of that service and use it, because we have been able to leverage tens of millions of pounds in additional support for people across Northern Ireland through it. Recommendations relating to additional support for carers in Northern Ireland were made in the independent advisory panel's report on the future of welfare mitigations, which was published in October 2022. Those measures include the introduction of carer recognition payments, which would be paid twice a year, similar to the carer's allowance supplement that is paid in Scotland. The latest estimated cost for a carer recognition payment is £90·18 million over a three-year period from 2025-26. That does not include administrative costs. Any future mitigation package, including further support for carers, will need to be assessed in the current financial climate, taking into account other priorities across my Department and the requirement to ensure that budgets remain sustainable over the coming years. However, I have heard what has been said in the Chamber today. I recognise as well the cross-party support that has been expressed for the move. However, ultimately, it will be for the Executive to decide on any future mitigation package and to consider the allocation of the additional funding that that might require. Last month, I met representatives from Carers NI, and we discussed a number of issues that impact on carers, including carer poverty. We know that poverty is complex and multifaceted, and addressing its root causes is a key priority for me. Given the fact that responsibility for supporting carers is a cross-cutting matter, I agree that a better coordinated approach is needed across Departments, whether that is through the anti-poverty strategy or strategies that are specific to the needs of unpaid carers. My Department is already involved with the cross-departmental senior officials group for unpaid carers, which was established by the Department of Health and provides a forum for an integrated, cross-government approach to supporting unpaid carers. That group will identify opportunities for collaboration and develop a work plan to meet cross-departmental objectives. I remain committed to developing effective and sustainable solutions to tackle poverty, in all its forms, for our communities right across Northern Ireland through the implementation of a robust anti-poverty strategy that will aim to address poverty and the impacts of socio-economic disadvantage. It will set out the Executive's commitment to a joined-up, long-term approach to address poverty while prioritising the issues that make a tangible difference to people's lives, including those of our young people. While my Department is leading on the anti-poverty strategy, it remains an Executive strategy, and final decisions on the content and implementation will be subject to Executive agreement, but I am committed to working with all my Executive colleagues to ensure that it is taken forward in the most effective way possible. We need to take account of departmental budget allocations and develop a prioritised and deliverable strategy action plan. A cross-departmental working group has been established, and DFC officials are engaging with senior officials across all Departments to identify key actions that will have a meaningful and lasting impact on socio-economic disadvantage in our society. I intend for the work to be taken forward at pace, with a paper being presented to the Executive in early 2025. I have listened to concerns highlighted by those in the sector, such as Carers NI, the Carer Poverty Commission, and by the local political community, including those Members who have contributed to the debate today, about the adequacy of the support that is provided through the welfare system for unpaid carers. I have seen the strength of feelings that there are for changes and improvements to be made. Therefore, I commit to engaging with the Department for Work and Pensions to highlight those issues and urge it to give due consideration to improving support for that group in our society. I am also fully committed to working with other Departments here to review the adequacy of the support that is provided across government to unpaid carers and to advocate for a more coordinated approach to considering the needs of that group, who undertake such a valuable and dedicated role when looking after some of the most vulnerable people. Thank you.

1,438 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:56 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification