Letter: The Carer’s Allowance is the main benefit for those who provide unpaid care for family members and friends yet is worth a pittance

The Carer’s Allowance welfare benefit is an insult to hard-working unpaid carers in Northern Ireland and is condemning tens of thousands of them to devastating poverty.

Carer’s Allowance is the main benefit for those who provide unpaid care for sick or disabled family members and friends here.

It is worth a pittance – providing less than £2.50 per hour in exchange for caring for a sick loved one for at least 35 hours a week.

It is no wonder that nearly half of recipients in Northern Ireland are living below the poverty line and one in seven are using food banks.

Our unpaid carers save Stormont nearly £6 billion in care costs every year and deserve so much better than this.

Sign Carers NI’s petition and tell the Communities Minister that things need to change: tinyurl.com/CarersAllowancePetition.

Craig Harrison, Carers NI