Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa considers that the Statute of Informal Caregiver has "given a new hope" that recognition and support "will be quickly put into practice".

The Statute of the Informal Caregiver was published in Diário da República in September and the Government has, from that date, four months to regulate it.

The diploma also gives 120 days for the Government to identify the legislative or administrative measures needed to strengthen labour protection of informal caregivers.

The Informal Caregiver Statute defines, among other measures, a support allowance for caregivers, the rest to which they are entitled and specific measures regarding their tax status.

According to the diploma, proof of the condition of informal caregiver is made unofficially by social security services.

The main informal caregiver is the spouse, de facto partner or related relative up to the 4th degree of the person being cared for, who permanently accompanies and takes care of the person, who lives with him/her in the same household and who does not receive any remuneration for professional activity or for the care he/she provides to the person.

The new law defines that experimental pilot projects will be developed for people who fit into the status of caregiver. These pilot projects must be in place for 12 months.

It is estimated that in Portugal there are between 230,000 and 240,000 carers in a situation of dependency.