Overview
- Labour MP Dan Carden submitted a written question asking whether the government plans to review or amend Carer’s Allowance.
- Minister Sir Stephen Timms replied that the benefit is kept under review to ensure it meets its objectives and said the department is taking steps to improve its operation.
- In April 2025 the rate rose 1.7% to £83.30 a week, and the earnings limit was reset to the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage, described as the largest such increase since 1976.
- The DWP estimates that these changes, backed by around £500 million, will enable over 60,000 additional people to receive the benefit between 2025/26 and 2029/30.
- As of August 2024 there were 1.4 million claimants, up 5% year on year, and officials stressed the Secretary of State’s annual statutory duty to review benefit rates, with no new reforms announced in this update.