Carer's Allowance Supplement (Scotland) Bill
Overview
The Bill provides for an increase in the amount of the carer’s allowance supplement for the period from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Anyone who qualifies for this supplement will get the increased amount.
The Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 set the initial amount that carers would receive for this period. The Bill will increase this amount by £231.40. It will also give the Scottish Government the ability to increase the amount of a carer’s allowance supplement going forward.
Carer’s Allowance Supplement (Scotland) Bill as introduced (194KB, pdf) posted 22 June 2021
The Bill was passed on 07 October 2021 and became an Act on 15 November 2021
Contents
Overview
The Bill provides for an increase in the amount of the carer’s allowance supplement for the period from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Anyone who qualifies for this supplement will get the increased amount.
The Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 set the initial amount that carers would receive for this period. The Bill will increase this amount by £231.40. It will also give the Scottish Government the ability to increase the amount of a carer’s allowance supplement going forward.
Carer’s Allowance Supplement (Scotland) Bill explanatory notes
Why the Bill was created
The Covid-19 outbreak has had a serious impact on unpaid carers in Scotland. The Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act 2020 provided a financial top-up to support carers from 1 April to 30 September 2020.
This Bill was created to allow additional support to be provided to these carers.
Separately to this Bill, the Scottish Government plans to introduce a new benefit to support carers in the future that will replace carer’s allowance and this supplement.
Carer’s Allowance Supplement (Scotland) Bill policy memorandum