COWDENBEATH MSP Annabelle Ewing has welcomed new figures which show carers across the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area have benefitted from the Carer’s Allowance Supplement (CAS) payments of up to £452 a year, introduced by the Scottish Government.

In total, 7,450 carers in Fife have received CAS payments since September 2018, when the payment was introduced, with hundreds from this area benefitting.

Ms Ewing said: “As they do across the country, carers in my Cowdenbeath constituency make an absolutely vital contribution to our society, and it is absolutely right that their hard work should be valued and that they are properly supported.

“The SNP is determined to use the powers available to the Scottish Government to improve the lives of people across Scotland and this supplementary payment allows the Scottish Government to get more money into the pockets of carers as quickly as possible."

She added: “Since its introduction, the Carer’s Allowance Supplement has supported almost 100,000 carers across Scotland, including 7,450 in Fife.

"That is an extra payment made to carers in Scotland, twice a year, in recognition of the important contribution they make to our society.

“Those two supplementary payments total £452 per year, equivalent to an extra £8.50 per week, which is a 13% increase on the Carer’s Allowance from the UK Government, a clear signal of the importance that the Scottish Government places on the important contribution carers make to our communities - in what can often be difficult circumstances.”