§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about the treatment of occupational pensions by local authorities when the recipient enters residential accommodation leaving a spouse remaining in the community. [30505]
§ Mr. BowisWe have been looking carefully and sympathetically at this issue. While our guidance to social services departments makes it clear that they can exercise256W discretion when applying the charging rules to care home residents with occupational pensions, they are not at present required to disregard a portion of that occupational pension in order to provide for a spouse remaining at home. We have now decided in principle that the local authority charging regulations should be amended so as to disregard half the occupational pension when a husband or wife enters a residential care or nursing home in order to help their spouse remaining at home. The Department will be consulting with the interested parties, including the local authority associations, about the details of implementing this proposal. At the same time, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security will be taking forward a similar proposal in respect of people who were in residential care or nursing homes on 31 March 1993 and who have preserved rights to the higher levels of income support.