§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his policy towards the three-tier care standards arrangement proposed by the Hertfordshire county council for care homes being leased to the private sector.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyI understand that Hertfordshire county council has made no such proposal. The council commissioned a study of options for the future management of its residential care homes and those options are currently under consideration by the council's social services committee.
Local authority residential care homes should match the standards required of homes registered under the Residential Home Act. This standard should be available to all residents and is not linked to the ability of individual residents to meet the costs.