To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost implications of moving carers currently in receipt of income support on to a modified form of jobseeker’s allowance; what other impact assessment of the change he has made; and if he will make a statement. (228496)

[holding answer 20 October 2008]: We have no specific costs that can be directly attributed to moving income support carers to a modified jobseeker’s allowance as they constitute a minority of the income support caseload that would be moved. As such, the work we have done to cost a move to a modified jobseeker’s allowance has been on the basis of moving the entire caseload. However, there would be no change in the amount of benefit paid to carers on income support nor would there be any additional one-off implementation costs associated with this specific group. There would also be no increased requirements placed upon carers.

The impact assessment produced alongside the Green Paper provided some high-level information about the proposal to move income support cases on to jobseeker’s allowance in so far as it applied to lone parents. Further details will be provided once the policy has been reviewed in the light of responses to the consultation.