Are unpaid carers worth hundreds of

UK

Teenage girls face nearly a decade of unpaid caring

Angela Ferguson & PA News,

BBC News
ReutersTeenage girls who are unpaid carers on Merseyside are expected to spend a longer time caring than others across the UK

Teenage girls in a town on Merseyside face spending almost a decade of their lives as an unpaid carer in the future, new figures have revealed.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that young unpaid carers in St Helens can expect to spend as much as nine and a half years of their lives in the role.

Nationally the figure is an average of almost eight years, and it is just over five years for teenage boys who are unpaid carers.

The Carers Trust said the "alarming figures" showed how women and girls were "disproportionately shouldering the pressures of caring".

Unpaid carers, also referred to as informal carers, provide care to anyone because of long-term physical or mental ill-health or disability, or care needs relating to old age.

The new figures looked at the average number of years people who are expected to provide unpaid care beyond their current age between 2020 and 2022.

The top six areas for teenage girls with the highest number of years are:St Helens, Merseyside - 9.6 years
Halton, Cheshire - 9.2 years
Torbay, Devon - 9.2 years
Knowsley, Merseyside - 9.1 years
Wirral, Merseyside - 9.1 years
Sunderland - 9.1 years

The boys' list also includes many of the same areas:St Helens, Merseyside - 6.7 years
Knowsley, Merseyside - 6.7 years
Halton, Cheshire - 6.6 years
Sefton, Merseyside - 6.3 years
Sunderland, Tyne and Wear - 6.3 years
Telford, Shropshire - 6.3 years
Wrekin, Shropshire - 6.3 years
Torbay, Devon - 6.3 years
Wirral, Merseyside - 6.3 years


'Health and wellbeing'

While St Helens had the highest number for teenage girls, the lowest was in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, at 5.6.

Similarly, for older people, women were found to face more time as an unpaid carer.

For people aged 50 between 2020 and 2022, women can expect to spend 4.7 years of their remaining lives providing unpaid care, while men face about 3.5 years of unpaid care.

Josephine Foubert, from the ONS, said the new analysis "shines a light on the health and wellbeing of unpaid carers".

Ramzi Suleiman, from the Carers Trust, called for action to be taken, adding: “These alarming figures show how women are disproportionately shouldering the pressures of caring."

The ONS said the figures were calculated by combining data on unpaid care collected in Census 2021, with death counts and mid-year population estimates.

Are unpaid carers worth hundreds of 

millions of pounds per year to Northern

 Ireland?

19 April 20243 minute read

SUBJECT

CLAIM: Unpaid carers provide the equivalent of hundreds of millions of pounds of work every year, while the Department of Communities spends only 2% of its budget on Carer’s Allowance.

RATING

ACCURATE

• The Department for Communities spends 2% of its budget each year on Carer’s Allowance (£182m)
• Over one in eight of the population in Northern Ireland provide unpaid care
• By any reasonable estimate, the economic value of unpaid care in Northern Ireland comes is easily worth hundreds of millions – if not billions – of pounds every year

On 28 February in a post on social media, Carers NI public affairs manager Craig Harrison claimed:

“2%… That’s the amount of DfC’s budget spent on Carer’s Allowance. In return, those carers save Stormont £100s millions in care costs every year.”

This is accurate.

Official figures state that the Department of Communities (DfC) spent £182.4 million – 2% of its budget – on Carer’s Allowance in the most recent year, and that this proportion is similar to other recent years.

Estimates for the total value of unpaid caring in Northern Ireland come to billions of pounds. Even a deliberate underestimate, calculated by FactCheckNI, resulted in a value of almost £1bn.

Given DfC spending is under £200 million, it is fair to suggest that unpaid caring saves Stormont hundreds of millions annually.

• Carers’ Allowance

Minister for Communities Gordon Lyons recently outlined his department’s spending on Carer’s Allowance in response to a written question from UUP MLA Andy Allen.

Figure 1 – source: Northern Ireland Assembly

Spending for the most recent year – 2022-23 – was around £182.4 million, which amounted to 2.0% of DfC spending that year. This was not an outlier year, with all spending on carer’s allowance since 2018-19 being under 2.5% of the total DfC budget.

Figures for spending on carer’s allowance in Northern Ireland can also be sourced from the annual reports published each year by the Department for Communities.

This supports the first aspect of the claim made by Mr Harrison.

• Caring economy

The 2021 census for Northern Ireland found that around 222,000 people here provide unpaid care. This represents 12.4% or just over one in eight of the population aged five or over. Around 97,000 people (5.4% of the over-five population) provide more than 35 hours of care per week.

By comparison, in England and Wales, 9.0% of the population provide unpaid care.

A report published by Carer’s NI sought to calculate the economic value of unpaid care in Northern Ireland by multiplying the hours spent on unpaid care in Northern Ireland with the hourly unit cost for replacement care across each Health and Social Care Trust area in Northern Ireland. Using this methodology, the report authors found that unpaid carer’s support in Northern Ireland was worth £5.8 billion in 2021, an increase in real terms of 42% from 2021.

A 2018 report by the International Labour Organization estimated that if unpaid care was valued at the minimum wage worldwide, it would amount to 9% of global GDP. From regional GDP figures published by the ONS, the GDP of Northern Ireland in 2021 was £51.7 billion.

By looking in more detail at figures from the census, it is possible to make a simple calculation that provides an underestimate or basement figure for the value of caring work in Northern Ireland. According to the census, the number of people aged 5+ who provide a certain amount of caring every week is:

Figure 2 – source: NI Census 2021

If we assume everyone in this cohort only spends the minimum amount of time in their band to provide care, we can see that the minimum amount of total care per week here is:

(100,777 x 1) + (24,636 x 20) + (28,109 x 35) + (68,691 x 50) = 5,011,862

Multiplying that by 52, this equates to 260,616,824 caring hours per year.

In Northern Ireland, the minimum wage varies by age. For most people, it is £10.42 per hour but it can be as low as £5.28 per hour (for under 18s and apprentice workers). Assuming that caring is valued at the lowest-possible figure, the minimum annual value for caring in NI becomes:

260,616,824 x £5.28 = £1,376,056,830.72

Even this strict underestimate places a floor on the annual value of caring in NI at somewhere approaching £1.4 billion.

When all of these estimates are considered, and given Stormont pays out less than £200 million per year on Carer’s Allowance, it is accurate to suggest that unpaid caring saves Stormont hundreds of millions of pounds every year.

 

DiCaprio-backed Scottish rewilding campaign aims to raise £200k in a week


For more information and to donate, visit https://bit.ly/BigGiveRewildingNation.

19 April 2024
by Graham Martin

Hollywood star said: "with this campaign, Scotland could be a world leader in rewilding its landscapes"

A campaign calling for Scotland to become the first Rewilding Nation, backed by Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, is launching an ambitious fundraising drive to raise £200,000 in just one week.

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance, a coalition of more than 20 organisations, is calling on the Scottish Government to commit to nature recovery across 30% of the country to benefit nature, climate and people.

In a message of support posted to his 62 million followers on Instagram last week, which has now been liked by almost 100,000 people, Leonardo DiCaprio said: “With this campaign, Scotland could be a world leader in rewilding its landscapes, ensuring clean air and water, storing carbon, reducing flooding, restoring wildlife, and improving the lives of locals.”

Rewilding Britain aims to raise £200,000 for the Rewilding Nation campaign as part of this year’s Big Give Green Match Fund, which runs from 18-25 April. All donations will be matched by Big Give.



“We’re urging people from all walks of life to support the Rewilding Nation campaign. This is about creating a groundswell of hope for a greener, fairer Scotland in which communities and nature thrive together,” said Kevin Cumming, Rewilding Britain’s Rewilding director and steering group member of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance.

“Rewilding is about tackling the nature and climate emergencies, while offering a cascade of benefits for people – including better health, new jobs, food security, and healthy rivers and seas.”

Funds raised during the Big Give week will support outreach to the Scottish Government, politicians, and communities, including through an extensive series of events this summer, a new community rewilding guide, and by making the campaign widely accessible in Gaelic.

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance plans dynamic and creative approaches to showcase how rewilding offers hope for tackling biodiversity loss and climate breakdown, while offering major social and economic benefits.

There will be initiatives involving young people, many of whom say they are extremely worried about the uncertain future posed by the climate and nature crises.

Alliance member Trees for Life has extended an open invitation to Leonardo DiCaprio to visit the charity’s Dundreggan Rewilding Centre near Loch Ness in the Highlands. The centre celebrates rewilding and Gaelic culture, and offers a gateway for visitors to explore Trees for Life’s Dundreggan estate, part of Affric Highlands, the UK’s biggest rewilding landscape.

Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Intensive agriculture and climate breakdown are having the biggest impacts on habitats and wildlife, with other threats including non-native forestry, pollution, and introduced species, research shows.

Rewilding 30% of Scotland can be achieved by restoring habitats including peatlands, native woodlands, wetlands, rivers and seas, with no loss of productive farmland, says the Alliance.

A Rewilding Nation Charter, which calls on the Scottish Government to declare Scotland a rewilding nation, has already been signed by thousands of people.

Charities savage Scottish Government as it ditches climate pledge

"Re-writing Scotland’s climate rulebook is an acute global embarrassment"


18 April 2024
by Graham Martin

Scrapping Scotland’s key climate change target is the “worst environmental decision in the history of the Scottish Parliament” according to charities.

Ministers have ditched the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030.

Màiri McAllan (pictured), cabinet secretary for net zero, said the target is now “out of reach”.

The Scottish Government will also scrap its annual and interim targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

They will be replaced with a system measuring emissions every five years.

McAllan said the government needs to act and “chart a course” to make the ambition to be net zero by 2045 “at a pace and scale that is feasible, fair and just.”

The widely expected decisions were met with dismay by Scotland’s environment charities, with Oxfam’s Jamie Livingstone saying it made the country an “global embarrassment”.

He said: “With the world becoming a dirtier and deadlier place every day, any decision by Scottish ministers to re-write Scotland’s climate rulebook is an acute global embarrassment.

"It would also be the direct and damaging consequence of the Scottish Government’s own dilly dallying on climate action."

Friends of the Earth Scotland branded it "the worst environmental decision in the history of the Scottish Parliament".

The charity's Connal Hughes said: "The Scottish Government has had 15 years to bring forward the transformative action that would mean warm homes, good public transport and good green jobs.

"They haven't delivered. Instead of ramping up action they're scrapping targets and breaking promises."

He said it was "very concerning" that annual targets have been dropped.

Stop Climate Change Scotland (SCCS), Scotland’s civil society coalition on climate action, which SCVO is a member of, said a new range of policies brought forward by ministers, which include “a new national integrated ticketing system for public transport in Scotland” are “wholly inadequate” and must now be urgently strengthened, and delivered at speed.

Mike Robinson, chair of SCCS, said: “The fact that Scottish ministers feel they have no choice but to shift Scotland’s climate goal posts is the inevitable and damaging consequence of their abject failure to deliver the speed and depth of climate action needed since the 2030 target was set.

“However, none of us can hide from the realities of climate science and a continued failure to make our fair contribution to retaining a liveable planet would be, as the first minister himself described it, "catastrophic negligence".

“The lack of sufficient climate action to date represents a major breach of trust with the people of Scotland and communities around the world who have done least to cause the crisis but whose lives and livelihoods are already being destroyed.

“The range of largely re-heated measures announced by the Scottish Government are wholly inadequate and fall very significantly short of the transformational acceleration in action needed. Scottish ministers must now be judged on whether and how quickly they strengthen these inadequate measures, and how quickly they then deliver and fund them.”

Lang Banks, director of WWF Scotland, said the news is “bitterly disappointing” and blamed the Scottish Government’s delays in delivering its own policies, over many years.

He said: “By failing to treat the climate crisis as the emergency that it is, and deliver the actions needed, Scotland’s 2030 target has been put out of reach.

“We now need to see the emergency response from government that is required to put our climate ambitions back on track. It's welcome to hear ministers reiterate their commitment to tackling climate change and the policies that have been proposed today. However, the real test is how quickly these, and existing commitments, are turned into reality to start delivering real benefits for people like warmer homes, healthier air, and supporting more farmers to adopt climate and nature-friendly practices.

“The recent farm floods show that the climate crisis has not gone away, and polling shows that public support in Scotland for action remains high. We urgently need a repeat of the success we’ve already seen on renewables, in sectors such as agriculture, homes, and transport. We therefore need the Scottish and UK governments, politicians from all parties, businesses, and the public to all play their part in delivering a climate and nature-friendly future.”

Meanwhile, Anne Callaghan, SCIAF advocacy officer, responded: “Right now, millions of people are suffering on the front line of the climate crisis in places like Malawi, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Zambia. Every day they deal with loss of life, livelihoods and land from hunger, flooding and drought.

“Rich countries like Scotland have caused the climate emergency with our emissions, both now and in the past, and have benefited economically from using fossil fuels. Scientists tell us that we must cut emissions now or we risk making our world even more unliveable.

“The Scottish Government needs to step up and deliver a just transition to a low carbon economy. Without an emergency response that delivers at pace, we risk playing our part in making this planet hell on earth.”

It wasn’t just the environment sector which responded with dismay. Peter Kelly, director of The Poverty Alliance, said: "Democracy relies on political leaders keeping their promises to the people. Today's announcement will undermine trust in the Scottish Government, and we call on all MSPs to carry out their duty to hold ministers to account and keep our climate pledges.

"From rising food and fuel costs, to homes that can't withstand extreme weather, and increased health risks - global warming hits poorer people the hardest.

"For years we have been calling on ministers to budget for a better future, raising the investment we need to make Scotland's homes warm and energy efficient, to make public transport affordable and accessible, and to create new jobs in a net zero economy. Those calls have too often fallen on deaf ears.

"Scotland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and we can unlock that wealth for the public good, making rhetoric about climate justice and poverty a reality and building a better future for people here and around the world."