CARERS AND THE 2011 CENSUS

That this House recognises the recent increased priority given to supporting the UK's six million carers and the forthcoming Prime Minister's National Carers Strategy which will be published in the spring; notes the widespread use of data on carers gathered as a result of the 2001 census, in particular its use in research by Carers UK showing the negative impact that caring has on carers' ability to undertake paid work; notes that only the census can provide data on small groups such as carers from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and is the only reliable source of data on young carers; notes the difficulty that government, local authorities and health bodies will have in implementing the strategy without accurate data on the numbers, nature and location of carers; and therefore calls on the Government to ensure that the questions on carers are included in 2011 census.