DWP confirms no plans to reduce number of hours required to qualify for weekly Carer’s Allowance payments

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Prime Minister Liz Truss confirmed her commitment to protect the Triple Lock on State Pensions during PMQs in the House of Commons on Wednesday, however, she would not confirm to whether Carer’s Allowance would rise by the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate of 10.1% - a figure that is typically used to determine the benefits uprating for the following financial year.Carer’s Allowance is a benefit paid to someone who provides care for a friend or family member for at least 35 hours each week.

The benefit is paid every four weeks, amounting to £278.80 each pay period.Earlier this week, Labour MP, Kevan Jones, asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if it had plans to “reduce the number of hours carers must undertake their care work in order to be eligible for Carer's Allowance”.

However, Minister for Disabled People, Claire Coutinho, said that there are “no plans to change the eligibility conditions”.

In a written response, Ms Coutinho, said: “There are no plans to change the eligibility conditions for Carer’s Allowance with respect to the number of hours that care is provided for.” The UK Government recently dismissed proposals to increase Carer’s Allowance weekly payments to match the rate for the National Minimum Wage of an 18-year-old.The petition, created by Emma Roberts, asked for weekly payments to be increased to £239.05 to “reflect the work carers do”.