Carers
Benefit cap on full-time carers for adult relatives to be scrapped
Charities hail major victory as it emerges that those who spend more than 35 hours a week caring will be exempt from the cap
The government has finally abandoned its controversial policy of imposing benefit cap penalties on full-time carers for adult relatives, two months after a court found it unlawfully discriminated against disabled people.
The welfare reform minister, Lord Freud, told peers during a debate on the welfare bill on Monday that all those who spend more than 35 hours a week in a caring role would be exempt from the cap.
Charities welcomed the U-turn as “a significant victory” for carers and carers’ rights.
Heléna Herklots, the chief executive of Carers UK, said: “By changing the law to exempt carers who receive carer’s allowance from the benefit cap, the government has shown that it recognises the valuable contribution that carers make to society and that the benefit cap unfairly penalises carers, many of whom are already facing significant financial hardship as a result of their caring role.”
http://www.theguardian.com/society/...cap-full-time-carers-adult-relatives-scrapped
Benefit cap on full-time carers for adult relatives to be scrapped
Charities hail major victory as it emerges that those who spend more than 35 hours a week caring will be exempt from the cap
The government has finally abandoned its controversial policy of imposing benefit cap penalties on full-time carers for adult relatives, two months after a court found it unlawfully discriminated against disabled people.
The welfare reform minister, Lord Freud, told peers during a debate on the welfare bill on Monday that all those who spend more than 35 hours a week in a caring role would be exempt from the cap.
Charities welcomed the U-turn as “a significant victory” for carers and carers’ rights.
Heléna Herklots, the chief executive of Carers UK, said: “By changing the law to exempt carers who receive carer’s allowance from the benefit cap, the government has shown that it recognises the valuable contribution that carers make to society and that the benefit cap unfairly penalises carers, many of whom are already facing significant financial hardship as a result of their caring role.”
http://www.theguardian.com/society/...cap-full-time-carers-adult-relatives-scrapped
