Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 7:18 pm on 10 July 2019.
Yes, I think Joyce Watson makes a very important point there, and I think Jayne Bryant also raised the issue of employment and how important it is for carers to be able to continue with employment, for financial reasons if for no other reason. The fact that women have to work longer now is bound to have an impact on their caring roles. So, I think that is definitely an area that should be followed up, so thank you for making that point.
So, as part of the remit of the carers ministerial advisory group, its members will be developing ideas and solutions in response to the different issues faced by carers, including new and more flexible forms of respite. I know that some carers are already trialling different ways of using direct payments to purchase respite care or breaks. Since 2017-18, we've given £3 million of additional recurring funding to support local authorities to provide additional respite care for carers based on the need of carers in their area. This money has now been placed into the local government revenue support grant, but we are continually asking all local authorities in Wales to tell us how they're using this and what changes and innovation this is helping them to pursue. This year—