HC Deb 14 May 1996 vol 277 cc418-9W
Mr. Stewart

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of exempting from contributions to long-term care the value of an individual's home; [29152]

(2) what estimate he has made of the cost of exempting from contributions to long-term care the value of an individual's home up to a limit of £300,000. [29151]

Mr. Bowis

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk (Mr. Macgregor) on 4 March at columns82–83.

Mr. Denham

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the total public cost of introducing a partnership scheme for long-term care in which the average value insurance claimable is £30,000, under(a) the option set out in paragraph 9.6 of the consultation document, "A New Partnership for Care in Old Age", and (b) the option set out in paragraph 9.7, where the number of policies purchased is (i) 10,000, (ii) 100,000 and (iii) 1,000,000; and in each case over what period of time he forecasts that the expenditure would fall. [29265]

Mr. Bowis

The cost of the scheme would depend on a number of factors, including the level of protection from means testing earned by indemnity insurance and immediate needs annuities, the number of people with partnership products who need residential care and their asset holdings.

Forward to