HC Deb 23 June 1999 vol 333 cc385-6W
Mr. Steen

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what evaluation he has made of the effect on the (i) capital and (ii) running costs of(a) residential homes and (b) nursing homes of the introduction of rules and regulations affecting the running of these homes in the last three years; [87893]

  1. (2) what Fiche d'Impact was undertaken by the EC on each of the legislative initiatives affecting (a) residential homes and (b) nursing homes introduced in the last three years; [87895]
  2. (3) if he will list the European Union (i) legislation and (ii) other rules introduced in the last three years which relate to the running of (a) residential homes and (b) nursing homes. [87894]

Mr. Hutton

The responsibility for the organisation and delivery of health care and social care in the European Union, including residential homes, lies with member states. As such, there is no European Community legislation or other rules for which the Department is responsible which relate to the running of residential homes and nursing homes and no fiches d'impact have been undertaken.

In the last three years, there have only been two regulations introduced by the Department which relate specifically to residential and nursing homes.

The National Health Service (Health Authorities) (Open Reporting of Nursing Home and Mental Nursing Home Inspections) Directions, made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State under Section 17 of the NHS Act 1977, required health authorities, from 1 April 1998, to make their inspection reports on nursing homes available to the public. This matched the existing requirement for local authorities to publish their residential care home inspection reports. This change involved no increase in costs to nursing homes.

With effect from 1 May 1998, Health Service Circular 1998/057 and Local Authority Circular (98)12 increased the registration and annual fees which residential care homes and nursing homes are required to pay to the local or health authority with which they are required to register. The purpose of the fees is to cover the cost to local and health authorities of registering and inspecting homes. Prior to last year, there had been no increase in fees since October 1992.

For a residential care home with 20 beds, the increase in fees would cost an extra £100 a year. For a nursing home, the increase would cost an extra £480 a year.