Disability and Carer Benefits Expert Advisory Group - Scottish Carer's Assistance consultation: response from ministers

27 March 2023

Dear Jim,

Scottish Government response to Scottish Carer's Assistance consultation

I wrote to the group earlier this month to advise that draft Carer Support Payment regulations had been referred for scrutiny to the Scottish Commission on Social Security and noted at the time that we would be following this with the publication of our response to the public consultation on the benefit in the coming weeks.

I am pleased to advise that today we have published our formal response to the Carer Support Payment (formerly Scottish Carer’s Assistance) consultation. This publication follows our public consultation between February to May 2022, which set out proposals for our replacement benefit for Carer’s Allowance in Scotland, and the subsequent publication of the independent analysis of consultation responses which followed.

In sharing the regulations earlier this month I also acknowledged that responses to some of the Group’s recommendations on carer benefits remained outstanding, as our work has been ongoing to develop final policy. My response to these outstanding recommendations is now provided below.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Group once again for all of the advice and expertise which has gone into shaping the improvements we will make to support for carers, from the launch of Carer Support Payment and into the future.

Best regards,

Ben Macpherson