§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action his Department has taken to ensure 496W that benefit paid to claimants resident in old persons' homes is used for the purposes for which it is granted; and if he will make a statement on his Department's actions in ensuring the protection of the financial interests of such claimants.
§ Mr. Whitney[pursuant to his reply, 29 March 1985]: A person — usually a relative or friend — can be appointed to deal with a person's benefit when that person cannot deal with his or her own affairs. But where a claimant lives in an old persons' home and a relative or friend cannot be appointed, a responsible person at the home is asked to act. Such appointment may be revoked whenever benefit is not administered in a satisfactory manner.
The Residential Care Homes Regulations, 1984, require the person registered to run such a home to keep a record of all money or other valuables deposited for safe-keeping by residents showing when the deposit was made and when any sum or other valuable was returned to a resident or used at his request on his behalf, and the purpose for which it is used.