§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if the £10,000 ex-gratia payments made to former Japanese prisoners of war count towards capital for the purposes of charging for nursing and social care. [146078]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department has laid regulations and is in the process of issuing guidance to councils to ensure the ex-gratia payments are completely disregarded in the assessment of people's ability to pay for nursing home and residential care.
With regard to home care and other non-residential services, the Department has recently issued similar draft guidance.