Chamber
Plenary, 25 Nov 1999
25 Nov 1999 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Carers Strategy
welcome the sentiments that the minister has expressed. I am sure that carers across Scotland will join me in regarding this as a first step in the long-overdue recognition of the role played by carers in society.
For far too long, the needs of carers and those for whom they care have been largely ignored by the Government and given a low priority in terms of local authority support and services. Scotland's half a million carers provide by far the larger share of both health and community care services and save the national health service and local authorities more than £3.4 billion every year. Of course—and perhaps most important—most people prefer to be cared for by their family and in their own home.
As things stand, 60 per cent of carers get no practical help from any of the service providers. That may be due in part to the fact that many individuals and families do not recognise themselves as carers. Many, particularly women, simply see caring for disabled or elderly members of their family as their duty.
I was a carer until very recently. Women have rightly always been regarded as the main carers for children, but for too long there has been very little recognition of the fact that, for many women, the caring role does not stop when the children leave home. That is very often just the time when they have to start caring for elderly or disabled relatives.
Many have to give up their employment; many more have to juggle a career with their role as carer. That is why I ask the minister to address in his summing up the fact that the tax and benefits system penalises working carers. For example, if a carer's earnings are more than £50 a week, even though they spend every hour outside the working day caring for their relative, they are not entitled to invalid care allowance. If they give up their work to care for somebody on a 24-hour basis, they will be better off than if they were on income support by the grand sum of £13.95.
Will the minister address the fact that invalid care allowance is not paid to people over 65? As my colleague Dorothy-Grace Elder will point out, many carers are pensioners themselves. Of course, benefits are a reserved matter, but I would find it impossible to talk about support for carers without addressing the issue of benefits. Will the minister make representations to the Labour Government at Westminster regarding that problem?
I would also ask the minister to consider a national benefits take-up campaign to ensure that Scotland's carers receive the benefits to which
they are entitled. I welcome the announcement of the diversion of £5 million for Scotland's carers, which is to be added to the £5 million that is already earmarked from local authority funding. However, I must say that I am disappointed that this is not new, additional money, but money that will have to come from cash-strapped local authority budgets.
I will put the figures into perspective. Even if all the money reaches carers, £10 million works out at 38p per carer per week. When we consider that meals on wheels cost more than £1 per day, a home help costs £8 per hour, and a week's residential respite care costs £350, it is clear that Scotland's carers will still face huge problems. That is on top of the fact that the Labour Government has cut spending on community care by 12 per cent.
Until such time as the continued underfunding of local authorities is rectified, initiatives such as the one announced today—good though it is—will have, at best, limited success. Local authorities will continue to rob Peter to pay Paul. Unfortunately, that is often achieved by dipping into the community care budget.
I will take the current situation in Glasgow as an example. There are proposals to cut £3 million from services to elderly people, resulting in the loss of 150 home helps and the denial of that service to 219 people. That puts today's announcement into perspective.
"Caring for Carers", the national strategy for carers, refers to the need to take account of the recommendations made by the Royal Commission on Long-term Care chaired by Sir Stewart Sutherland. As we all know, it is fast becoming the report that dare not speak its name. Sutherland highlights the needs of carers and makes some simple recommendations that would go a long way to improve the situation, such as the application by local authorities of carer-blind assessments so that the existence of a carer is not the reason for services being withheld or, indeed, withdrawn.
Sutherland also highlighted the fact that a three- month disregard on the value of elderly people's homes and savings would not only have an impact on the so-called bedblocking crisis, but would allow time for rehabilitation and proper assessment of needs to allow many more of our elderly people to be cared for in their own homes, after a stay in hospital.
As we have already found, the Executive's rhetoric does not quite match the reality. Despite today's announcement, the reality is that local government funding in the first three years of the Labour Government is £2.4 billion less than it was in the last three years of the Tory Administration. It is essential that the Scottish Parliament ensures that support for carers is a key part of our social policy for Scotland in the new millennium.
As I said, I welcome today's announcement as a first step and as recognition of our debt to Scotland's carers. However, until such time as the tax and benefits system reflects carers' needs and local authorities are adequately funded to provide essential services, the needs of Scotland's carers will never be truly met.
I move amendment S1M-317.1, to leave out from "to assist" to end and insert:
"and calls upon it to provide local authorities with the necessary funding to deliver the services required by Scotland's unpaid carers."
For far too long, the needs of carers and those for whom they care have been largely ignored by the Government and given a low priority in terms of local authority support and services. Scotland's half a million carers provide by far the larger share of both health and community care services and save the national health service and local authorities more than £3.4 billion every year. Of course—and perhaps most important—most people prefer to be cared for by their family and in their own home.
As things stand, 60 per cent of carers get no practical help from any of the service providers. That may be due in part to the fact that many individuals and families do not recognise themselves as carers. Many, particularly women, simply see caring for disabled or elderly members of their family as their duty.
I was a carer until very recently. Women have rightly always been regarded as the main carers for children, but for too long there has been very little recognition of the fact that, for many women, the caring role does not stop when the children leave home. That is very often just the time when they have to start caring for elderly or disabled relatives.
Many have to give up their employment; many more have to juggle a career with their role as carer. That is why I ask the minister to address in his summing up the fact that the tax and benefits system penalises working carers. For example, if a carer's earnings are more than £50 a week, even though they spend every hour outside the working day caring for their relative, they are not entitled to invalid care allowance. If they give up their work to care for somebody on a 24-hour basis, they will be better off than if they were on income support by the grand sum of £13.95.
Will the minister address the fact that invalid care allowance is not paid to people over 65? As my colleague Dorothy-Grace Elder will point out, many carers are pensioners themselves. Of course, benefits are a reserved matter, but I would find it impossible to talk about support for carers without addressing the issue of benefits. Will the minister make representations to the Labour Government at Westminster regarding that problem?
I would also ask the minister to consider a national benefits take-up campaign to ensure that Scotland's carers receive the benefits to which
they are entitled. I welcome the announcement of the diversion of £5 million for Scotland's carers, which is to be added to the £5 million that is already earmarked from local authority funding. However, I must say that I am disappointed that this is not new, additional money, but money that will have to come from cash-strapped local authority budgets.
I will put the figures into perspective. Even if all the money reaches carers, £10 million works out at 38p per carer per week. When we consider that meals on wheels cost more than £1 per day, a home help costs £8 per hour, and a week's residential respite care costs £350, it is clear that Scotland's carers will still face huge problems. That is on top of the fact that the Labour Government has cut spending on community care by 12 per cent.
Until such time as the continued underfunding of local authorities is rectified, initiatives such as the one announced today—good though it is—will have, at best, limited success. Local authorities will continue to rob Peter to pay Paul. Unfortunately, that is often achieved by dipping into the community care budget.
I will take the current situation in Glasgow as an example. There are proposals to cut £3 million from services to elderly people, resulting in the loss of 150 home helps and the denial of that service to 219 people. That puts today's announcement into perspective.
"Caring for Carers", the national strategy for carers, refers to the need to take account of the recommendations made by the Royal Commission on Long-term Care chaired by Sir Stewart Sutherland. As we all know, it is fast becoming the report that dare not speak its name. Sutherland highlights the needs of carers and makes some simple recommendations that would go a long way to improve the situation, such as the application by local authorities of carer-blind assessments so that the existence of a carer is not the reason for services being withheld or, indeed, withdrawn.
Sutherland also highlighted the fact that a three- month disregard on the value of elderly people's homes and savings would not only have an impact on the so-called bedblocking crisis, but would allow time for rehabilitation and proper assessment of needs to allow many more of our elderly people to be cared for in their own homes, after a stay in hospital.
As we have already found, the Executive's rhetoric does not quite match the reality. Despite today's announcement, the reality is that local government funding in the first three years of the Labour Government is £2.4 billion less than it was in the last three years of the Tory Administration. It is essential that the Scottish Parliament ensures that support for carers is a key part of our social policy for Scotland in the new millennium.
As I said, I welcome today's announcement as a first step and as recognition of our debt to Scotland's carers. However, until such time as the tax and benefits system reflects carers' needs and local authorities are adequately funded to provide essential services, the needs of Scotland's carers will never be truly met.
I move amendment S1M-317.1, to leave out from "to assist" to end and insert:
"and calls upon it to provide local authorities with the necessary funding to deliver the services required by Scotland's unpaid carers."
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S1M-317, in the name of Iain Gray, on the Executive's commitment to the introduction of a carers strategy, an...
The Deputy Minister for Community Care (Iain Gray):
Lab
I welcome to the public gallery carers who have travelled from all over Scotland to be here today. Given the caring responsibilities that they have, that rep...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
I can now give an interim answer to the point of order that was raised by Kay Ullrich. I understand that the parliamentary question was asked by Lewis Macdon...
Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
welcome the sentiments that the minister has expressed. I am sure that carers across Scotland will join me in regarding this as a first step in the long-over...
Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con):
Con
We welcome today's motion. I congratulate the minister and Kay Ullrich on their contributions to an evocative and important matter. The minister is also to b...
Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP):
SNP
Mr Aitken says that the matter is not a question of finance and goes on to highlight the shortcomings in local government and the need to plough more money i...
Bill Aitken:
Con
Of course it is a question of finance, but it is also a question of enabling the people who might be on the periphery of making a contribution to do so. I do...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD):
LD
On behalf of the Liberal Democrats, I join in the plaudits to the deputy minister, who has produced a good paper and brought it before the chamber in an unde...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
A number of members want to speak in this afternoon's debate. I ask members to keep their speeches as close as possible to four minutes.
Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab):
Lab
I welcome today's debate. It is essential that our discussion of this issue is informed and constructive. We must move the carers agenda forward. The Scottis...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab):
Lab
Does the member for Airdrie and Shotts agree that the doubled allocation of resources for the provision of carers services, including respite care, displays ...
Karen Whitefield:
Lab
Yes, I agree.It is especially important that priority has been given to young carers. It is estimated that there are around 5,000 young carers in Scotland, a...
Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I, too, welcome the fact that we have highlighted young carers today and I wish to confine my remarks to that subject. I am glad that young carers are being ...
Dr Richard Simpson (Ochil) (Lab):
Lab
I must begin by declaring that I still act as a medical adviser to foster carers in the former Central Region, now Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire. Th...
Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to debate this extremely important issue in Parliament. I will use my time to draw attention to the needs of the valuable people wh...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
There is time for one more speaker. I call Kate MacLean; you have three minutes.
Kate MacLean (Dundee West) (Lab):
Lab
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I will try to be brief. Iain Gray said that one of the first events he attended as a minister was a carers event. I wonder whet...
Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
On a point of order. Might it be noted when we have important debates such as this in future that ministers should not make statements prior to the debate? P...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
Thank you. I understand the point of order.
Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD):
LD
I welcome the minister's comprehensive speech and, like all the other members who have spoken today, the strategy for carers. It is good that we have moved t...
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP):
SSP
On a point of order. It has been the practice for the Presiding Officer to indicate the number of members who wanted to speak in the debate but were unsucces...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
SNP
I am not aware that that is a practice, Mr Sheridan. For your information, I believe that the number is three.
Tommy Sheridan:
SSP
Thank you.
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
Much of what I wanted to say has been said. I am delighted that there is such consensus on this issue. I would like to think that, whether in a small or in a...
Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP):
SNP
I welcome the tone and substance of this debate. Members from all parts of the chamber have made good speeches. I am sure that the Minister for Health and Co...
Iain Gray:
Lab
Will Mr Hamilton give way?
Mr Hamilton:
SNP
I will not give way.The £5 million is a relaunch of money that has already been allocated. Welcome though that money is, let us not go down the track of sugg...
The Minister for Health and Community Care (Susan Deacon):
Lab
Let me say at the outset how genuinely pleased and proud I am to be standing here today shoulder to shoulder with Iain Gray and other members of the Executiv...
Kay Ullrich:
SNP
When the minister met representatives of local authorities, did they assure her that they were receiving adequate funding to provide community care services?
Susan Deacon:
Lab
Perhaps this is the appropriate point at which to address the SNP amendment. Amendments such as the one that has been moved today are dishonest and disingenu...