An update from our letter to the Ministerial Correspondence Team

Dear Supporter,

We recently wrote to the Ministerial Correspondence team at the Houses of Parliament on behalf of carers who continue to work hard across the UK, caring for loved ones and giving back to the economy.

We continue to fight for what is right and that is the protection of the vulnerable from those who want to cause stress and panic.

Please continue to share this petition and check back for updates.

Thank You

Leo

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Dear Mr Cleary,

Thank you for your email of 23 August about Carer’s Allowance. Government Ministers receive a large volume of correspondence, and they are unable to reply personally on every occasion. I have been asked to respond.

This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by carers every day in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends, including pensioners and those with disabilities and we also recognise that they live very busy lives.

We recognise the challenges they are facing, and we are determined to provide unpaid carers with the support they deserve. We are moving quickly to understand exactly what has gone wrong for some of those who have been doing paid work whilst claiming Carer's Allowance so we can set out a plan to put things right. As a part of this, the Minister for Social Security and Disability recently met with Carers UK and individual carers. Hearing their views and experiences is key to helping us to establish the facts and make informed decisions.

All those claiming benefits have a responsibility to ensure that they are entitled to any payments they receive and that they report relevant changes of circumstances to the Department, including changes to their earnings where required and where they may affect their claim. This includes those unpaid carers receiving Carer's Allowance.

In addition, the Department is progressing an enhanced notification strategy as part of its existing commitment to improve claimant engagement, building on its existing communications with claimants.

As part of this notification strategy, it is considering all forms of targeted contact to find the most effective and efficient solution, such as exploring the use of targeted text messages or emails to alert claimants and encourage them to contact the Department when it is made aware of a potential overpayment. The new strategy will help claimants understand when they may have received an earnings-related overpayment or are at risk of doing so and will encourage claimants to contact the Department to meet their obligation to inform it of changes in their income and other relevant circumstances. This will reduce the risk of those claimants being overpaid. Yours sincerely

Naomi Agius 

Acting Head of the Ministerial Correspondence Team