Part of Care Bill [Lords] – in a Public Bill Committee am 4:15 pm ar 16 Ionawr 2014.
Liz Kendall
Shadow Minister (Health) (Care and Older People)
4:15,
16 Ionawr 2014
I am saying that the Prime Minister especially should be careful about what he says, because many people have heard his statement and think that they will not have to sell their homes. I want to be careful and accurate in my comments on this.
Amendment 104 states that the Secretary of State has to make a model deferred payment scheme, or one of the loan schemes, available to all local authorities, although they can opt out if they so choose. Amendment 105 specifies that the interest that people would incur on the loans will not count towards the cap on care costs. We discussed that issue on Tuesday. Amendment 106 would remove the means test for the loans, which was not recommended by Dilnot, who wanted a universally available system, and the matter was sprung on people when the Government issued their consultation document on the deferred payment schemes just before the summer.
I pay tribute to Lord Lipsey for raising the issue and moving the amendment in the other place. He was the first person to highlight the fact that the new loan schemes will not be available to everybody as was intended, but are being means-tested.
Amendment 107 states that local authorities must direct anybody considering taking out such a loan to a financial adviser so that they can be well advised about the best financial options for their situation.
Amendment 96 calls for regulations on deferred payment loan schemes to be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure of both Houses of Parliament.
To provide some background, the loans are widely available but not widely taken up. I did a freedom of information survey on local councils and 95%—we had a high response rate—said that they offered the loans but do not often promote them—
Norman Lamb rose—
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The House of Lords. When used in the House of Lords, this phrase refers to the House of Commons.
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Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
