Support for carers "too complex"

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14 September 2009

Britain's six million unpaid carers who look after relatives or dependents are missing out on crucial benefits because of overly complex rules, MPs have concluded.

A report by the Commons public accounts committee revealed that carers claim only £2bn in benefits, while their work saves the Treasury an estimated £23bn a year in health bills.

A fifth of carers who receive benefits say they find the process of claiming difficult, the report said. There are currently around six million unpaid carers in the UK, looking after sick or disabled family and friends. Their only form of support comes from the Department for Work and Pensions through the carers' benefit scheme and through employment support.

But the committee criticised the department for making carers "jump through hoops" to apply for benefits and allowances. MPs stated that the benefits system for carers was "unnecessarily complex" and confusing.

The report called on the government to make it easier for carers to be referred to the correct services for their benefits at a local level.

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