§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the maximum weekly payment made by his Department in Bradford to support elderly people in private residential homes.
§ Mr. Peter LloydInformation is not available on this basis. Help through income support with the fees of residential care homes in Bradford is subject to the national limits. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the current limits on 27 October 1988 at column 483.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received about the difference between charges levied by private residential homes in Bradford and the maximum weekly payment made by his Department to support elderly people living in such homes; what is the current minimum and maximum difference in Bradford; how many elderly people have been evicted from residential homes in Bradford in the last 12 months because of inability to pay fees; how many elderly people are now under notice to leave private residential homes because of inability to pay fees; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter LloydHelp with fees in an independent residential care home can be available through income support, subject to national limits. The level of a person's charges is a matter for him and the proprietor to agree based on the services to be provided. We have had representations from Bradford and elsewhere about the levels of income support in relation to fees charged by homes. However, it is not our policy to meet all fees, however high, and the levels of income support are enough to meet the fees in the majority of cases. The Department does not collect information on the remaining points.