One-off increase in Carer’s Allowance Supplement confirmed as emergency Coronavirus Bill is passed in Scotland

Additional payment of £230.10 will be made in respect of period from April to September 2020

A one-off increase in Carer's Allowance Supplement has been confirmed as part of the measures in the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill.

Passed unanimously yesterday in the Scottish Parliament, the Bill - which makes provisions to supplement those in the Coronavirus Act 2020 and the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 - amends section 81 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 to provide for an additional payment of Carer’s Allowance Supplement of £230.10 for the period from 1 April 2020 to 30 September 2020.

In the Policy Memorandum accompanying the Bill, the Scottish Government says - 

'The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has an impact on many of Scotland’s estimated 800,000 unpaid carers that is specifically connected to their caring role. While it is not possible to quantify this impact precisely, the Scottish Government considers that many unpaid carers will be experiencing a loss of income and increased costs at this time.

In most cases, this is likely to be more severe for those unpaid carers with a more intensive caring role and lower financial resilience. The Scottish Government considers that the receipt of carer’s allowance is a way of identifying these unpaid carers, because it requires 35 hours or more caring per week with a weekly income threshold of £128. Around 83,000 unpaid carers in Scotland receive carer’s allowance, and they are more likely to be in the lower income deciles and have poorer health and educational outcomes.'

For more information see MSPs support further emergency coronavirus legislation from gov.scot

Stop press (28 May 2020) - the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act 2020 has now been published.