Hywel Francis

Labour Party | Aberavon

Carers Win Census Battle

The Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Carers Group, Dr Hywel Francis MP has been informed by the Government that the campaign to ensure that a carers question will be in the 2011 Census has been won.

Dr Hywel Francis MP said,

‘This is great news for the six million carers and their Carers organizations led by Carers UK.  I have today received a letter from Treasury Minister Angela Eagle MP informing me that ‘there is now a cross-government resolution and funding will be provided [for a fourth page].  This will mean that the Office of National Statistics (ONS) can now accommodate more of the user demands for information and continue with the plans to include a question on carers in the 2011 Census’.

Dr Francis added

‘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 organizations 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.

On behalf of the All Party Carers Group I would like to thank the Prime Minister Gordon Brown MP and Carers Minister Ivan Lewis MP and many other Ministers including Angela Eagle MP and Anne McGuire MP for their positive responses to the concerns of carers’.