Breaktime Plus is a short breaks programme run by Lancashire County Council. Local authorities have a duty to publish their own short breaks offer, and the government has supported them in this by publishing the lessons learned from the Short Breaks Innovation Programme in February 2026. This report includes a range of approaches to improving the effectiveness, accessibility and efficiency of short breaks provision.

The government is also carefully considering the recommendations made by the Law Commission in its September 2025 report on disabled children's social care. The Commission highlighted the importance of short breaks as a key form of support for disabled children and their families. Ministers are considering the Commission's findings and recommendations and intend to publish the government's response in the autumn.

The Government recognises the vital role unpaid carers play and is committed to ensuring they have access to the support they need, including opportunities for respite.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to assess carers who appear to have needs for support and, where eligible needs are identified, to ensure these are met. The act does not require local authorities to provide specific forms of support, such as respite breaks, but authorities should consider the individual circumstances and needs of carers when determining appropriate support.

The Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared with 2025/26. Local authorities are responsible for determining how best to use this funding to meet local needs in line with their statutory duties. This will cover the support they provide to unpaid carers, including respite provision.

Supplies of welfare services, including the provision of respite and residential care for people with permanent disabilities and dementia, are exempt from VAT if they are supplied by eligible bodies, such as public bodies or charities.

Some respite care may be provided by community interest companies (CICs). Because CICs are not charities in law, they must meet the criteria of being state-regulated in order to provide VAT-exempt care services. This is to ensure that the VAT relief is carefully targeted at private providers offering safe and high-quality welfare services.

The Government recognises that there are private organisations that bring value to the care sector without being regulated, but extending the VAT relief to include these would have to be carefully balanced against the risks that it poses.

Responsibility for commissioning respite services rests with local authorities and it is based on their assessment of the needs of their local populations.

Through the Better Care Fund, integrated care boards and local authorities are encouraged to work together to identify and support unpaid carers, including through the provision of respite and short-break services where appropriate.

The Better Care Fund is an over £9 billion annual framework for integrated care boards and local authorities to make joint plans and pool budgets for the purposes of delivering better joined-up care.

The hon. Lady is absolutely right that unpaid carers are the lifeblood of our care system, and we pay tribute to them for the compassion that they show. I was very pleased yesterday to accompany the Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade, my hon. Friend the Member for Halifax (Kate Dearden), to the launch of the new paid carer’s leave consultation document. I am also pleased to chair the cross-ministerial group that will produce an action plan for unpaid carers, addressing exactly the issues that the hon. Lady mentioned about respite care.

Unpaid carers play a crucial role in supporting so many people who need to draw on social care, thereby supporting our health service and our formal social care system, but they tell me that they are under immense strain and need more support. They are, of course, more likely to be women and to be older. Does the Minister recognise the urgent need for more respite care for unpaid carers, and will he take action to provide it now, rather than waiting a few years for the Casey commission?

The Government recognises the vital role that unpaid carers play in supporting people living with dementia and is committed to ensuring that carers can access appropriate support, including respite services.

Responsibility for commissioning respite services rests with local authorities based on the needs of their local populations. Through the Better Care Fund, integrated care boards and local authorities are encouraged to work together to identify and support unpaid carers, including through the provision of respite and short-break services where appropriate.

The 2026/27 Better Care Fund framework specifically highlights the need for local areas to consider how pooled funding can support carers' assessments and respite provision, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-framework-2026-to-2027/better-care-fund-framework-2026-to-2027?utm_source=chatgpt.com#

On dementia specifically, we will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, to improve support for people living with dementia and their carers. We are committed to an interim product in September this year and will aim to publish the full framework by the end of this calendar year as recommended by Baroness Casey. People with lived experience, carers, and families will be central to the development of the modern service framework.

The Department is also preparing a cross-Government action plan for unpaid carers, to improve how unpaid carers are recognised, how support is offered, and how they can be helped to reach their full potential and live fulfilling lives.

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they have the support they need. I chair a cross-Government ministerial group that meets regularly, made up of ministers from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Education, to consider how we can provide unpaid carers with the recognition and support they deserve.

Work is underway to introduce a MyCarer section to the NHS App, allowing people to book appointments and communicate more easily with relevant clinical team members on behalf of those for whom they care. This will allow carers to seek guidance directly from health professionals, improving people’s experience, outcomes, and saving admin time for the health professionals and the carer.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities must provide a range of high-quality services for unpaid carers. The Better Care Fund supports initiatives such as short breaks and respite care, with local areas deciding how to use funding based on local need.

We have raised the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit from £151 to £196 per week, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage and representing the largest cash increase ever.

Nationally, the Department of Health and Social Care, alongside NHS England and local authorities, continue to strengthen guidance to the care sector, and online resources to make support clear and accessible through its work. This includes information on financial help, health and wellbeing services, and respite care.

Locally, integrated care systems and local authorities continue to work towards improving their services. All these steps aim to help ensure unpaid carers can access the services they need efficiently, supporting both their wellbeing and essential caring role.

In England, the Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.

The Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in England in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the National Health Service contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund compared to 2025/26.

The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for carer support, including short breaks and respite services. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.

We have raised the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit from £151 to £196 per week, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage and representing the largest cash increase ever.

We have announced an ambitious reform programme to urgently address the sharp decline in foster carers and modernise fostering.

We are investing £88 million over the next two financial years to transform the foster care system. That will include direct action to recruit and retain a wide range of foster carers, including weekend and short-break foster carers.

This investment includes an innovation programme supported by £12.4 million to scale and spread new and existing models of care, including different models of foster care that push at the boundaries of how we achieve better results for children. This programme can also include initiatives that make greater use of supported lodgings to enable older children, where appropriate, to live more independently.

Our policy paper also sets out plans to ensure that carers can rely on their own trusted networks, and to tackle unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles that carers often face when attempting to do this. The policy paper is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewing-fostering-homes-for-10000-more-children.

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they have the support they need.

In England, the Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers. The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for carer support, including short breaks and respite services. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.

We have raised the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit from £151 to £196 per week, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage and representing the largest cash increase ever.

The Government is making around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in England in 2028-29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements.

Supplies of welfare services, including the provision of care for people with permanent disabilities and dementia, are exempt from VAT if they are supplied by eligible bodies, such as public bodies or charities.

When developing policy, including on VAT on welfare services, the Treasury carefully considers the impact of its decisions on those sharing any of the nine protected characteristics, including disability, age, sex and race, in line with its statutory obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty set out in the Equality Act 2010.

More generally, VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they have the support they need.

The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, which can include respite support for carers.

To help local authorities fulfil their duties, including to unpaid carers, the 2025 Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.