Ivan Lewis, The Government Minister responsible for Care Services, explains the new plans announced this week which he claims will alleviate the burden for the courty's growing army of carers.

FOR the majority of us, it can be difficult enough balancing all the demands in our lives. Work, family, household chores, sport or leisure time - it seems there are never enough hours in the day, and an eighth day every week would be a real bonus.

But for the army of nearly five million carers across England, there is another huge claim on their time. Helping their frail elderly mother out of bed every morning, washing and dressing her and providing breakfast - that can be two hours minimum; assisting a neighbour down to the shops, helping him around the supermarket and carrying the groceries back - that's another two; making lunch for their disabled son, and - more importantly - helping him to eat it - that's another hour or more; reading out letters to a relative with poor eyesight, and helping him or her make sense of the information and take any appropriate action - all the hours add up. And these aren't just one-offs; day in, day out - and night times too - the claims on carers' time are endless.

Just a few years ago, a survey of households across the UK showed that there 855,000 people over the age of 16 who provide more than 50 hours of caring a week. Nearly a million more provide between 20 and 49 hours. And in England, a total of 4.8 million individuals carry out at least some caring responsibilities every week.

Millions of people in this country are hidden heroes, who keep families together through their support and devotion, and as a society, we need to support these people to continue doing this. That's why Gordon Brown has this week announced that he will be launching a countrywide consultation with carers and voluntary organisations to update the 1999 Carers' Strategy, and why I am announcing a New Deal for Carers.

Whether they look after family members, neighbours or friends, our carers carry out a multitude of tasks which all contribute to the health, well-being and quality of life for the people they look after.

But what about the health, well-being and quality of life for carers themselves? With a background in both social services and in the voluntary sector, I know personally the extent to which carers play a vital role, both to the individuals they look after and in keeping our society together. That's why I want to do all I can to support them to continue, and why I am announcing the New Deal for Carers - a package of support totalling £33m to provide essential support for carers.

This £33m is new money and the vast majority of it - £25m - will go directly to local authorities. Specifically, it will go to the councils which this Government tasked with providing support to carers when we introduced the Carers' Grant in 1999. County Durham, for example, already gets £2m under the Carers' Grant, and the New Deal for Carers money means it will get additional £278,000 to be spent on providing emergency respite care to cover situations that can face a carer from time to time. Things like the need to go into hospital for treatment, or to attend the funeral of a friend or relative. Such pressures confront us all from time to time, but for those with caring responsibilities, they can impose the additional worry of making suitable alternative arrangements - sometimes at a moment's notice - to look after the person for whom they care.

As the Government Minister responsible for Care Services, I am in regular contact with carers, and hear from them directly how things can be improved. There is considerable evidence that the lack of proper, planned alternative care in the event of anything untoward happening is one of the things that most limits the freedom of carers to have a life of their own and to look after their own needs, and which worries them the most.

In addition to providing the resources for these emergency respite care arrangements, we are also setting up a national helpline for carers, which will provide a single point of contact for carers to get advice and information on a whole range of issues, from their legal entitlements through to what services are available locally. The £3m advice line will be developed in conjunction with carers' organisations.

The rest of the money - £5m - will be spent on a programme of skills development and support for carers - the Expert Carers' Programme. Due to be launched later this year, this programme will provide a service to meet the personal needs of carers - that is, carers' rights, stress management, information for carers, advocacy services, as well as the skills they need to continue to care safely, such as moving and handling, first aid and medication.

Many of the carers I meet tell me that they feel immensely privileged to be providing the care and support they do to their nearest and dearest, but they are human too, and it's essential that they have the sense of security that this package of measures will allow.