Counting carers

After pressure from carers and carers charities, this month has brought some important steps forward in the campaign to ensure that carers are counted in the next census. Carers were included for the first time in the 2001 Census, giving access to detailed and reliable information on both a local and national level which proved key in helping local authorities and health bodies plan services.

However, these questions were under threat of being dropped completely, due to funding restrictions. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) had to restrict the number of Census questions and initially felt that the ones relating to carers were not of sufficiently high priority to keep in. This lead to the launch of a campaign by Carers UK to Keep Counting Carers, which has gained support from carers, local groups, academics and politicians.

Earlier this month Treasury Minister Angela Eagle MP confirmed that extra funding would be made available for more questions in England and Wales. The Office for National Statistics is now recommending that these include the questions on carers.

The final list of questions will only be confirmed in 2010, when Parliament approves the Census following a question testing programme. However, the fact that the carers questions will be taken forward in the list of questions recommended by the ONS is an important development.

Imelda Redmond, Chief Executive of Carers UK said: "We can’t underestimate just how critical it is to have a question on caring in the census. The census provides the best opportunity to get hard evidence on how we can support carers."

Dr Hywel Francis MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Carers, which was active in backing the campaign, said: "I would like to thank all parliamentary colleagues who in great numbers signed my Early Day Motion on this important matter as well as all the carers organisations throughout the country who participated in the campaign. The information on carers in the 2011 Census will be very important to implement the Prime Minister’s new national Carers Strategy."

116 MPs signed an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to retain the questions.

Find out more about the campaign to Keep Counting Carers