Unpaid carers in Wales are being denied vital support because there is a failure in the gathering of data to assess who is eligible, Dwyfor Meirionnydd MS, Mabon ap Gwynfor says.

Figures reveal 10% of Wales’ population are unpaid carers, with around 20,000 children and young people undertaking caring responsibilities. Unpaid carers save Wales £10 billion a year in costs.

Mr ap Gwynfor said unpaid carers are suffering from burnout and exhaustion, exacerbated by not being able to access assessments required to claim respite, and called the situation completely unsustainable.

Speaking in the Senedd, Mr ap Gwynfor said: ''The one thing that is vital in terms of carers is the ability to access respite... Their working week is not made up of five working days, seven hours a day, with 25 days of leave every year; those aren’t their terms and conditions. There are no rules to say young people aged 16 cannot work more than eight hours a week for carers. But, again, there are over 20,000 young carers in Wales working diligently for their loved ones, without the support that they need, on top of their other duties and their education - children and young people sacrificing their childhoods and having to grow up far too soon. Where is their respite?

“Respecting our unpaid carers means responding to their needs, and the only way of doing this is by gathering the data and the core information to know what is happening on the ground.”

He added: “Unpaid carers are legally entitled to get an assessment of their needs. Yet only between 0.3% and 8% of carers get an assessment meaning most unpaid carers go without the support and respite they both need and are entitled to.

“The government must ensure local authorities are properly funded so they can complete these assessments.”