Carers
Thanks to the many carers who used our template letter and wrote to Ministers and the Office of National Statistics. Your campaigning paid off on April 02 2008 when Treasury Minister Angela Eagle confirmed funding would be provided for the page of questions including carers.
Politicians
Many politicians backed our campaign
- An Early Day Motion was tabled by Dr Hywel Francis MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Carers. It currently has 111 signatures from across the political parties. Read the EDM here.
- Tony Baldry MP, Vice Chair of the APPG, tabled a question in Parliament asking Ministers whether a decision had been made about the Census. The reply from the National Statistician can be read here.
- Prior to this, the issue has been raised several times in Parliament. Barbara Keeley MP, speaking at a Westminster Hall debate which she secured in advance of Carers Week on 6th June 2007, said: A key issue in the short term is to ensure that questions about caring are included in the 2011 Census. The 2001 Census provided crucial evidence about caring, which has been vital for decision makers and policy makers, but there is a risk that those questions will not be included in the next Census, which would be a backward step."
- Jeremy Hunt MP, Shadow Minister for Disabled People, also raised it in the Opposition Day Debate on 12th June 2007.
- Baroness Pitkeathley asked an oral question about it in the House of Lords on 23rd July 2007. She stressed that at a time when the Government is reviewing the National Carers Strategy and looking at policy on carers for the next decade, it is vital to have continuity of data and to have information about hard to reach groups such as young carers and carers from black and minority ethnic communities.
- Supplementary questions were asked by other Peers, including Baroness Hollis, Lord Swinfen, Lord Tebbit, Lord Newby, Baroness Massey and Earl Howe. Responding on behalf of the Government, Lord Davies said that there was limited space on the questionnaire and that the carers questions were competing with questions on citizenship, industry, income and language. However he stressed that any final decision would be taken by parliament following a White Paper. Read the question here.
Academics and researchers
Researchers rely on the census so they're backing us all the way. Senior academics working in social policy and related fields in UK universities have written to the Office for National Statistics expressing their concern about the risk to the question on carers. These include
- Dr Hilary Arksey, Social Policy Research Unit, University of York
- Dr Lisa Buckner, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds
- Professor Saul Becker, University of Nottingham & Chair, UK Social Policy Association
- Dr Cinnamon Bennett, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds
- Dr Sophie Bowlby, School of Human and Environmental Science, University of Reading
- Professor Alan Deacon, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds
- Professor Peter Dwyer, Nottingham Trent University
- Dr Janet Fink, Faculty of Social Sciences, Open University
- Eleanor Formby, CERSI, Sheffield Hallam University
- Professor Caroline Glendinning, Social Policy Research Unit, University of York
- Professor Wendy Hollway, Faculty of Social Sciences, Open University
- Professor Hilary Land, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol
- Professor Jane Lewis, Social Policy Dept, London School of Economics & Political Science
- Professor Ruth Lister, Department of Social Sciences, Loughborough University
- Dr Clare Lyonette, Department of Sociology, City University London
- Dr Peter Mathias, Director, Bridge Research and Development
- Dr Kevin McKee, Sheffield Institute for Studies on Ageing, University of Sheffield
- Professor Linda McKie, School of Law & Social Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University
- Professor Gillian Parker, Social Policy Research Unit, University of York
- Professor Judith Phillips, School of Human Sciences, University of Wales, Swansea
- Professor Jennie Popay, Institute for Health Research, Lancaster University
- Professor Mark Priestley, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds
- Dr Katherine Rake, Director, Fawcett Society
- Professor Helen Roberts, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London
- Professor Fiona Williams, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds
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