§ Sir Andrew BowdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people who have had to sell their homes to pay for fees in a residential or nursing home since 1990.
§ Mr. BowisThe value of a resident's interest in a property can be taken into account only if he or she has moved permanently to residential accommodation. It must be ignored in certain circumstances, for example if the resident's spouse still lives in it. If it does have to be taken into account, the local authority may put a charge on the property which is not recovered until the property is eventually sold.
Information about the number of properties actually sold in order to meet charges for residential accommodation is not available centrally.