To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the implications of the introduction of the severe disablement premium for the financial circumstances of carers who are precluded from claiming invalid care allowance.

The severe disability premium is intended to focus extra help on those severely disabled people who are most likely to need to buy in care, because they live alone and do not have a carer who is receiving invalid care allowance. A person receiving the severe disability premium who has a carer who is, for whatever reason, precluded from claiming invalid care allowance is, as a result of this premium, in a better position to make some payment to the carer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of carers who are precluded from claiming invalid care allowance because the person they are caring for is in receipt of severe disablement premium.

None. The receipt of the severe disability premium by a disabled person does not preclude his carer from claiming invalid care allowance.