Richard Foord

It is an honour to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Vaz. The Office for National Statistics estimates that around 130,000 people in Devon provide unpaid care. That is roughly one in six Devon residents. To understand what that means in real life, I want to share the story of Emma Donovan from Sidmouth. Emma cares for both her parents: her mum who lives with Parkinson’s and dementia, and her father who is a veteran whose injuries have worsened with age. At the same time, she runs a non-profit, she works two part-time jobs, she volunteers as a Rotarian and she still tries to live a life of her own. Through her start-up, In a Pickle Services, Emma provides hygiene and wellness packs to people experiencing homelessness, but because statutory support has fallen away, her organisation is having to restart an unpaid carers’ support group, inspired by the excellent Honiton Carers Support Group. The new group in Sidmouth will launch in January and will help unpaid carers to manage the day-to-day reality of caring. The average age of Sidmouth residents is 59, which means that it has one of the highest proportions of carers of anywhere in the country. Emma’s experience mirrors that of countless carers across Sidmouth, Seaton, Axminster and Cullompton: constant pressure, limited respite and a system that too often leaves people to cope on their own. A recent report by Healthwatch in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay found that a third of unpaid carers provide more than 20 hours of care a week. That is sustainable only with proper support. The report highlighted poor communication, long waits for help and carers not being identified early enough. Many carers said that their mental and physical health is deteriorating because caring leaves them no time. Even when people do apply for help, carer’s allowance is paid only to those who prove that they provide at least 35 hours of care a week, and because it is an allowance and not a wage, it does not increase should the carer do more hours in a week than the minimum 35, which leaves some effectively receiving less than £2 an hour. The Carer’s Leave Act 2023, introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain), was a major step forward, giving working carers up to five days of unpaid leave per year. But that is still not enough. We Liberal Democrats are calling for paid carer’s leave and guaranteed respite, so that people are not forced to choose between their jobs and those they love. Our wider package of reforms would raise carer’s allowance by £20 a week and widen eligibility, recognising that too many carers miss out. People like Emma give so much to their families, their communities and to our country. They should not be left to struggle on their own. I thank the hon. Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) for securing both this debate and the presence of the Minister. We look forward to hearing from him the latest on the Government’s plans to support carers.