§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out(a) the assumptions his Department used and (b) the definition of nursing care used in providing an estimate of the cost of his proposal that nursing care should be free. [139042]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 20 November 2000]: These figures were based on the estimated costs of nursing care incurred by individuals in nursing homes who are not currently supported by local authorities or the National Health Service. They also include costs associated with assessing people's nursing care needs under the new arrangements. This calculation broadly reflected the difference in the average costs of residential and nursing care, rather than a particular definition of nursing care.