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30 Jun 2009 : Column 242W—continued

Young People: Carers

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of the number of young carers in (a) Chorley and (b) Lancashire. [282074]

Dawn Primarolo: The 2001 census, which is the only source of nationally comparable data on the number of carers of all ages, indicated that there were some 300 children and young people aged under 18 in Chorley and 4,000 in Lancashire as a whole who were offering some care to family members, neighbours, friends or others.

The census records young people who are described by the adults in the household as offering care to their families or communities. This includes young people who are responsible for the care of a family member (which is how young carers are more usually defined) plus others who may provide more occasional support such as child care for their parents or care for neighbours and friends.

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