Ed Davey calls for boost for unpaid carers as figures show one in four not in work

EMBARGO: 22.30 Thursday 3rd October

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will today (4th October) call on the government to boost support for unpaid carers, on a visit to a charity that supports children and young adults with Down syndrome and those who care for them.

It comes as House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed unpaid carers are a sixth less likely to be employed, with one in four classed as ‘economically inactive’.

The data reveals that just 50% of ‘adult informal carers’ were in employment compared to 60% of all adults, making them a sixth less likely to be employed. Disturbingly, the data also showed that informal carers were a third more likely to be ‘permanently sick/disabled’ than the rest of the population, with almost one in 10 unpaid carers classified to be so.

Ed Davey will visit a charity in North East Hampshire today that supports children and young adults with Down syndrome and those who care for them today, alongside newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Alex Brewer.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a comprehensive package of support for unpaid carers through an immediate £20 increase in Carer’s Allowance, raising it from £81.90 to £101.90 per week. This would give family carers an additional £1,040 annually, helping ease the financial strain on those who often have to sacrifice their own careers to care for loved ones.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has campaigned passionately for more rights for carers, being a carer himself for his disabled son John and cared for his mum as a teenager after she was diagnosed with cancer. He has made supporting the NHS and care the top priority for his party.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Standing up for carers is deeply personal to me. Looking after my mum when I was young and now for my son John, caring for loved ones is an amazing but at times an immensely challenging task.

“The previous Conservative government utterly failed to recognise the vital work that these incredible carers do and treated them as an afterthought. What is worse, on their watch they hounded thousands of carers in the overpayments scandal because of the disgraceful ‘cliff-edge’ for support.

“This new government now has the challenge of reversing these years of neglect and giving carers the support they desperately need and deserve. To do this they need to take on board our proposals and give carers a fair deal.”

ENDS