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Carers

Never let it be said that the power of Select Committees cannot move mountains, even if it is only a change in the drafting of a letter. I welcome my hon. Friend's promise, because the letter has caused great and unnecessary consternation. The Government said in their response that carer's allowance is not income replacement or a wage for caring. They went on to say that they are not willing at the moment to consider carer's allowance outside the general review of benefits. If it is not a benefit and not a wage, why not review it separately? The promise of a review in 2011, perhaps later, with final implementation around 2018, and linking it to the chimera of a single working age benefit, which we are a million miles from getting, is extremely disappointing, to put it mildly.