AS a carer I am angry at proposals to transfer working age carers on Carers Allowance and Income Support to Job Seekers Allowance as is proposed in the Green Paper No One Written Off: Reforming Welfare to Reward Responsibility.
Transferring carers who are providing a minimum of 35 hours a week unpaid care (work) to a benefit that suggests they are not working and are available for work is an insult to carers and a contradiction of the Government's claim to 'recognise' carer
s' immense contribution' to society (estimated to be worth £87 billion a year).
Furthermore, placing carers on JSA is misleading in that it implies that those with substantial caring responsibilities have the choice to combine unpaid caring work with paid employment, when in fact the lack of appropriate affordable respite in the system means that many carers do not have a genuine choice.
I would like to know if our MPs are prepared to back their warm words about carers with action.
I would also like to know readers' views on this. I am sure other carers will be interested in their MP's and other party candidates' responses.
P Hanson, Wath (carer for 21 years)
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