Will the Minister explain the reason for inconsistencies in the eligibility criteria for the support payments for unpaid carers and the Wales fuel support scheme, particularly with regards to the eligibility for those on carer's allowance?
Following careful consideration of how to allocate the funding available for the £500 payment scheme to unpaid carers, we made the difficult decision it should target those unpaid carers in receipt of Carers Allowance on 31 March 2022. We were not able to include people with an underlying entitlement to Carers Allowance.
We consulted with organisations representing unpaid carers when finalising the eligibility for this scheme. Based on the information returned from all local authorities to end of October, more than 43,000 unpaid carers have successfully registered for the £500 carer payment.
We are keen to ensure as many carers as possible can benefit from our Fuel Support Scheme by including all those who have claimed Carers Allowance. We have been able to expand the number of people who are entitled to the Fuel Support Scheme payment this year compared to last year.