The disability minister has backed scrapping the “old-fashioned” cliff edge for unpaid carers which means they lose their entire benefit if earnings rise above a specific threshold, The i Paper can reveal.
Sir Stephen Timms said he is “very interested” in pursuing a “taper” system, which would mean the Carer’s Allowance benefit claimed by 1.4m people would be reduced gradually as earnings rise.
He also said tens of thousands of unpaid carers waiting to see if they are eligible to have their debts wiped after ministers admitted the system was “confusing” could be waiting “a few years” while the Government assesses the claims.
It comes after the Sayce Review, led by former Disability Rights UK chief executive Liz Sayce, found that many carers felt they were “treated as criminals, with resulting feelings of fear and shame”. Some left paid work entirely as a result of the debts they faced.
Currently, anyone who spends at least 35 hours a week caring for a person receiving a qualifying disability benefit can access £86.45 a week, but they lose eligibility as soon as their income surpasses £204 per week.
