Question
I associate myself with the Prime Minister’s opening remarks, and join others in sending our best wishes to the Clerk of the House as he retires. When I met the Prime Minister for social care cross-party talks in July, we talked about supporting family carers better, so I welcome the abolition of the cliff edge on carer’s allowance, which has caused so much misery, but the details are less welcome. It will not take effect for four years, and when it does, the Government will claw back £1 for every extra £1 a carer earns—a 100% tax rate for working carers. That cannot be right, so will he meet me to discuss our plans to fix carer’s allowance, which would make work pay for family carers?
Answer
I am prepared to meet the right hon. Gentleman, and I thank him for what he said. It is a start, but we are in a position where we are trying to build a cross-party consensus around better support for older people, a new social care system in which there is much stronger support for family carers, as he has so rightly argued.
Verdict: AMBER (70/100)
The reply gives a clear, direct commitment that the Prime Minister is prepared to meet the member, which answers the core of the question. Its references to stronger support for family carers within a new social care system are general, and it does not mention carer's allowance or how work and caring interact, so that part of the question is only loosely addressed. The main point is answered, but a member of the public may want more concrete detail on carers' support.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Prime Minister meet the member to discuss her plans to reform carer's allowance so that it makes work pay for family carers? | Addressed | Direct | The core of the item is whether the PM will meet the member, and statement 1 gives a clear commitment ('I am prepared to meet the right hon. Gentleman'). Statements 4 and 5 reference stronger support for family carers in a new social care system, which loosely touches the reform theme, though carer's allowance and the work-pay point are not named. |