Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
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By glynne
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Tue 5 Aug 2008 21:02
Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
Do you trust the Government and M Ps at all?
There is a crude saying about organising something in a brewery and the government are like that!
The house of Lords was to be sorted; never mind that; they can’t sort out the house of commons. Why have we still Scottish MPs there? Why do we still have ‘ a Secretary of State for Scotland’? When excesses over expenses are printed in the press what do they do; clean up? No! They want to hide behind a smoke screen. When all the rest of us are tightening belts they want to be paid for clocking in.
When carers ask for some help what do they do? Tell us not to worry, ’all is in hand;’ they will find us all jobs. How where and all the rest like keeping up the care they have no idea about at all.
Some M P may care and ask questions in the house; to say he/she will be lied to is perhaps strong but they will be mislead. They may be told that carers allowance is “such”; but that will be based on the lowest figure of care hours that qualifies for carers allowance and the maximum paid out for care thus making an hourly rate that I have seen quoted; vastly inflated.
I E. I don’t know the figures off hand but:- . £72.00 allowance by 36 hours minimum qualifying rate = £2.00 per hour and we all know that not to be true. It takes no account of the thousands who care 24 hours for 7 day a week and 52 weeks a year. The many who have to make do with 2 hours sleep before having to get up for some duty; then back to the same thing again. The thousands who’s respite consists of; trudging around town paying bills; shopping and all the other home upkeep things that have to be done outside.
“Carers won’t be required to look for work” Wow! Pull the other one mate; else why any alteration at all? Why lump good honest carers with the work-shy; skivers and benefit cheats? Answers on a plain post card or under here.
My answer is “If we lump carers with them there will be little sympathy from the general public when carers cry out about their lot!”
Replies
- By CHERYL THE PERIL
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Re: Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
Wed 6 Aug 2008 15:23Glynne wrote
My answer is “If we lump carers with them there will be little sympathy from the general public when carers cry out about their lot!”I agree Glynne, if they lump carers in with the rest of the unemployed when carers complain about their lot I can picture them saying but you choose to care and we give you dispensation not to work but to be a carer instead. An its true to the rest of the unemployed who are being hassled to find a job or lose their benefits etc it would seem that carers are already receiving special treatment. And they will completely over look the fact thats carers are already working in looking after the person they care for.
Just my opinion, but I think that carers should be completely seperated from the rest of the benefit system.
Cheryl x
PS have a look at the Carers Wish List thread.
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- By ColinB
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Re: Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
Wed 6 Aug 2008 23:27i have to ask Glynne..what has the existense of scottish mp's etc in the house of commons got to do with carers?why even bring it up?they are there because if you care to remember, westminster is the site of the UK government, NOT an English government..but again..what has it to do with carers?
you have valid points, but is this the kind of arguement you think will do any good?
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By glynne
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Re: Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
Thu 7 Aug 2008 13:22ColinB.
The point? Action! Promises of action that don’t come about. That a government will fiddle as we burn; and I use fiddle it 2 ways there.
What action have we got? Moved to job seekers; a website and hot line; things that will help but that help is only needed because of the state of a support system that is a curse to enter.
Will this argument do any good? Will any? After all the discussions; consultations; soundings; dialogue; debate; talk; all we get is moved?
Will this argument do any good? It may stir carers; give them pause for thought; that fine words from a government butter no parsnips. That leads from those who “Looked forwards to;” and “Welcomed;” the consultation report that gave little are false gods leading carers nowhere.
If after all the time at their disposal the Lords and the West Lothian problem has not been sorted then the problems of carers will be a long way down their list of priorities! We asked for wine but have we been delivered a poisoned chalice?
In other words; the battle is still on!
NIce to be with you in chat last night Colin.
- By ColinB
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Re: Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
Thu 7 Aug 2008 23:25and it is worth noting here that said consultation report is applicable to England and Wales..so i still have to ask what the problem is with Scottish MP's etc being in the UK parliament, and how citing this fact is applicable to anything to do with caring
- By ColinB
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Re: Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
Thu 7 Aug 2008 23:30i do agree that there is a paradox there in the involvement of Scottish MPs at westminster in some cases , when perhaps the same issues in scotland are decided by edinburgh..but at the same time isnt there a paradox in naming things..the national strategy for....from our UK parliament , when it doesnt apply to whole of UK?
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By glynne
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Re: Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
Fri 8 Aug 2008 15:43Colin B
Fine words; fine promises! That was what it was about! Parliament was used as an example there that is all. That after all the words spoken and written; delivery is often lacking or flawed.
The post was not about that; it was about not being conned by the so called reforms.
Reforms that say little; tell us nothing about; where are all the fresh professional carers coming from when you are out at work?
Are you able to arrange short care?
Your charge needs feeding midday; can you arrange that say for half an hour?Are you able to access a database to check on any carer?
The government will now allow 16 years olds into care; how can you be sure that your charge will not end up with one as agencies slash costs?
What training has any carer had; will that be on any database if there is one?
Are you able to become an employer as you will be if direct payments are in?
Will you get financial help for insuring you as an employer?
Will you get advice on that and what is happening to provide that (professional advice)?
What protection will you have as an employee and carer (You will still be that after work) when you are let down by an agency and turn in late or not at all or have to run home?
What will happen at the change round; what if you are left in some black hole; lost in space? The government do not have a good record with data; so you are in the black hole with no benefits; what then?
What guarantee is there that you will be not further stressed by Job Centre Plus threats of loosing benefit for not “Signing on”?
Many questions that need to be addressed right now not in the far distant future.
I won’t talk about incapacity and the fact that you will be assessed by a private company that pays a bonus for doctors to sign you fit for work.
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By glynne
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Re: Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
Mon 11 Aug 2008 21:40And this promps me to ask; is anyone safe in thier hands OR do they care at all?
Inflation-busting pay rises for MPs who voted to keep police and nurses' pay down
By Daniel Martin
Last updated at 8:33 PM on 11th August 2008Thirteen Government members are to receive an inflation-busting pay rise next year simply because they live in London.
This is despite them voting to hold down pay rises for nurses and policemen - and urging private companies to observe pay restraint.
Nine ministers, including Harriet Harman and Tessa Jowell, are among those who will receive the increases of more than £6,000 each next year.
Bonanza: Harriet Harman voted against the rise but Tessa Jowell, centre, and Bridget Prentice, right, backed it in the Commons
This is made up of the pay rise for all MPs plus a huge increase in the topup that those with seats in London are allowed to claim.
It comes at a time when ordinary families are struggling to cope with soaring food and energy prices, with the Daily Mail Cost of Living Index rising at 25 per cent a year.
For backbench MPs, the £6,000 pay hike will mean an increase of 9.9 per cent in one year - far higher than the official rate of inflation.
The pay rise was voted through before the summer recess and will come into effect from April 1 next year.
For Miss Harman, who earns £140,000 a year, the rise is worth around 4.3 per cent.
She voted against the rise but will receive it nevertheless because it will be added automatically to her salary.
Among those to benefit who did vote for the rise are Olympics minister Miss Jowell and justice minister Bridget Prentice.
Critics have attacked the rise, calling it hypocritical at a time when Government policy is to urge pay restraint.
Mark Wallace of the TaxPayers' Alliance said: 'These are remarkably large figures, particularly for ministers in a Government that has produced so much rhetoric about public sector pay restraint.
'Next time these ministers say they understand what ordinary people are going through, everyone should remember they have protected themselves from the soaring cost of living, while the rest of us foot the bill.'
- By kerry.
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Re: Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
Mon 11 Aug 2008 22:22Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
No.
- By Dawn Raider
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Re: Are carers safe in the Government’s hands?
Mon 29 Sep 2008 16:07Put it the other way, Is the government safe in carers hands?
No!