§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will conduct a survey for publication of the practice of all local authorities to establish whether they are exercising the discretion in favour of spouses of which they were reminded in his Department's circular LAC(94)1 in January 1994, paragraphs 6 and 7 regarding charges for residential or nursing home accommodation; if he will require an authority failing to exercise this discretion in favour of spouses to provide an explanation; and if he will make a statement. [9121]
§ Mr. BowisWe have no plans to do so. It is for local authorities to decide how and to what extent they exercise their discretion. Regulations will however, shortly be laid before Parliament to require local authorities to disregard from the means test half of the occupational pension of a resident whose spouse remains at home