Last updated 22:31, Wednesday, 06 February 2008

WE note that Prime Minister Gordon Brown this week called for all party support to review carers’ pensions, allowances and the amount of respite care they get. About time, too.

We’re pleased also that Workington MP Tony Cunningham has agreed to investigate the concerns of carers.

There is an awareness, it seems, that things have to be put right and that carers deserve more support.

But why has it taken so long for their plight to be recognised? Is it simply that they are a put-upon part of our society, too busy devoting their time and energy to looking after loved ones while the rest of the world moves on?

It is only when you speak directly to the carers themselves that you realise how neglected they have been by the rest of society, and how abused they are by the state.

It is only when you put a human face to the issue that the stark, shocking reality of their situation becomes apparent.

The Times & Star’s investigation has found that there are nearly 900 carers known to the charity West Cumbrian Carers, aged anywhere between 98 and, amazingly, five years old.

There are, no doubt, many others who care for sick and elderly relatives who don’t even come up on the radar.

These carers are not only overworked, overlooked and under paid - but they’re not helped by a lack of knowledge about their entitlements. They are saving the Government billions of pounds.

It is nothing short of a scandal.

The system of benefits and allowances for carers is woefully inadequate as it stands.

The Prime Minister’s words, welcome as they are, must now be followed by firm action.