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Plenary, 25 Nov 1999

25 Nov 1999 · S1 · Plenary

Item of business

Carers Strategy

Brown, Robert LD Glasgow Watch on SPTV

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 understated but effective fashion.

The extent and impact of caring in Scotland is one of our best-kept secrets. The dependency of wheelchair users is visible, as is the existence of a physically handicapped child in the family, but when I visit homes in various capacities and talk to people, I am constantly struck by how many families are touched by the presence of a dependent relative for whom the family members have some responsibility. My impression is that 20 per cent of families might be in that position, which is perhaps right as the estimated number of direct carers is about 13 per cent of adult Scots.

There is an immense burden on people who care. About half of them have provided care for more than five years. Many have to deal with administering medicine or injections and most receive no visit from professionals or volunteers. Even worse, only 6 per cent of known young carers have been assessed under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, notwithstanding the fact that more than a third of young carers at secondary schools either miss lessons or have educational difficulties.

There is clearly—and rightly—no party divide in the chamber over the imperative need drastically to improve the support and help given to carers. I welcome both the commitment to properly developed legislation on the direct right of access to services and the careful consultation through the carers legislation working group.

The partnership Executive should be warmly congratulated on the extra £5 million that has been made available to carers services this year and its pledge to allocate more funding in the future if it is needed. However, no consideration of this area can avoid concern at the UK Government's long delay in responding to the Sutherland commission. The briefing document from the Carers National Association Scotland states:

"However, we believe that the lack of resolution on the issue of who pays for care will continue to undermine strategic effectiveness."

Members have already touched on the other area of concern, which is the continued loading of local authorities with new duties while there is a year-by-year failure even to fund pay rises. No wonder there are concerns that care money is not ring-fenced.

The answer to that problem is not a further restriction on local authority discretion. Nor is it the Scottish Executive's nannyish requirement to make councils supply community care plans with a

coupon from local carers groups confirming their satisfaction that the council has used its share of the £10 million appropriately. The answer is adequate funding of properly elected and accountable local authorities. To do that, we need to prise the Chancellor of the Exchequer's mitts off his multi-billion-pound war chest. Unless statutory duties are linked with appropriate funding, proper services to carers and other groups will remain a noble aspiration. Although the strategy outlined today is good and worth while, it must be backed by real new money if it is to succeed in the long term.

I also have concerns about young carers, to whom the deputy minister rightly gave considerable attention. They must be the priority in the general area of carers. Young people's life prospects have been severely damaged by early and heavy responsibilities of this kind. There is a need to assess young carers and for information, but this major problem needs to be addressed urgently. I am happy with the deputy minister's assurances that he will develop further research in this area.

There are many good things in the strategy, not least the involvement of carers in its development. It is a healthy skeleton. I hope that the minister will be able to tell us whether his discussions with UK ministers give us hope of putting flesh on the bones, not least through implementation of the Sutherland report.

Scotland prides itself on being a caring society. The document is excellent, but it is a beginning, not an end. I look forward, therefore, to further development of the strategy by the minister.

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Plenary, 25 Nov 1999

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