§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, by local authority area in England, the(a) average and (b) maximum home care charges made by local authorities. [98318]
§ Jacqui SmithInformation on individual council's home care charging policies is not held centrally.
The Department of Health issued statutory guidance to local councils for home care charges in November 2001. The guidance states that when assessing a person's income, charges should not reduce users' incomes below basic levels of income support plus a 25 per cent. buffer, and when setting an overriding maximum charge councils should consult users.