We Should Have a National Mileage Rate for Carers

I have asked the Scottish Government to introduce as an emergency measure a National Mileage Rate for all carers across the social care sector.

I have spoken to many social care workers and employers and was shocked to find out that many carers are only paid around 25p per mile in the private sector, compared to a mileage rate of upwards of 45p per mile for public sector employees.

Rising fuel costs are having a massive impact on people in every sector across the country, however care workers in particular are being hit exceptionally hard through the rising cost of petrol and diesel.

Many care workers have to travel between clients using their personal vehicle as a matter of necessity, and on top of not being paid for the time taken to travel, they are also receiving poor rates for the mileage they have to use.

I am asking the Scottish Government to introduce as an emergency measure a National Mileage Rate now so that carers are not facing out of pocket expenses from simply doing their job, and at the same time help to address the unequal terms faced between private and publicly employed carers.

Surely all carers deserve to be paid the same mileage rate, without doing so the compounding pressures will continue to devastate the sector and penalise the already hardworking staff.