Long-term Care (Hansard, 3 March 2004)

§ Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what target he has set for intensive home care as a percentage of intensive home and residential care. [158053]

§ Dr. Ladyman
The Department's Public Service Agreement includes a target to increase the number of those supported to live intensively at home to 30 per cent. of all those being supported at home or in residential care by March 2006. The percentage has risen by nearly two points, from 27.2 per cent. in 2001–02 to 29 per cent. in 2002–03.

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2004,Official Report, column 559W, on long-term care, how the estimates for (a) income from user charges for personal care at home, (b) savings of disability benefits and (c) publicly funded residents with incomes high enough to meet some care costs were derived. [156350]

§ Dr. Ladyman
In 2001–02, councils received around £320 million in income from user charges for domiciliary services. This information can be found on the Department's website. This is assumed to rise to around £350 million in 2003–04.
Savings from disability benefits were estimated in the manner described in the reply of 25 February 2004, Official Report, columns 466–67W.
The costs in respect of publicly funded residents with incomes high enough to meet care costs are an estimate, in the absence of data. A comparison of local authority data on the numbers of older supported residents in independent sector care homes and Department for Work and Pensions data on the numbers of older recipients of the residential allowance suggests that around 20 per cent. of older supported residents did not receive the residential allowance. This suggests that around 20 per cent. of supported residents have incomes above £168 per week, which is both the cut-off for receipt of residential allowance by older residents and the assumed level of hotel costs. This would amount to some 57,000 supported residents. If the average income of this subgroup—for which data are not available—was around £200 per week, the annual cost of free personal care for this group would be around £100 million.

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2004,Official Report, column 559W, on long-term care, whether there would be offsetting savings to the Department for Work 1044W and Pensions' expenditure on disability benefits for older people receiving care at home, if the personal care were to be provided free. [156466]

§ Dr. Ladyman
Free personal care would not result in any savings to the Department for Work and Pensions' expenditure on disability benefits for older people receiving care at home. This is because receipt of local authority funded home care, unlike receipt of local authority supported residential care, does not trigger loss of disability benefits.

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people over 75 were admitted to long-term care following a fall in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [156644]

§ Dr. Ladyman
Information on the number of people over 75 admitted to long-term care following a fall is not centrally available.