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Herald and Post article: April 2007

There is a hidden army at work in our country. Bur this is an army that does not attack the fabric of our country. In fact it is an army on which our country depends. I am referring to the 6 million people in our land who act as carers.

These carers come in many different forms – wives looking after ailing husbands, fathers caring for a sick son, daughters taking care of a fragile parent. The work they do not only provides a quality of care that couldn’t come from anyone else but also saves our country billions of pounds a year.

Yet this army of carers has been badly neglected by successive governments. I am pleased that this is beginning to change but much more needs to be done.

An important new right being given to carers is the right to request flexible working hours. This will mean that a carer who is in work will be able to ask their employer for a change in the hours they work in order to carry out their caring responsibilities.

This will be of benefit to those carers in work, but we also need to do more for those who have caring responsibilities and who are not in work. One important change would be to extend the carers allowance to those who are pensioners. At present someone who is in receipt of carers allowance automatically loses it once they become a pensioner. This is unfair and needs to change. It would make a real difference to the quality of life for pensioner carers who deserve our support for the vital work they do.