Labour and Tories Veto Free Personal Care

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 21st Jan 2003

Local MP Andrew Stunell voted in the House of Commons last week to stop the Conservative and Labour MPs joining forces to block Liberal Democrat plans to scrap the charges for personal care.

The Government's Community Care (Delayed Discharge) Bill allowed future Governments to introduce free personal care quickly by regulations without a new Act of Parliament. But the Government put forward proposals that will restrict free care to no more than a maximum of six weeks after discharge. The plan was opposed by Liberal Democrat MPs but won backing from Conservative MPs.

Any future Government committed to introducing free personal care would have to amend the law.

Andrew Stunell commented that, "Personal care should be free on the basis of need not the size of your bank balance. We are not talking about luxuries here we are simply saying that help with feeding, dressing, washing and intimate care should be free at the point of delivery."

"For Labour and Tory MPs to join forces to prevent a future Government introducing free personal care is simply appalling. The frail and chronically sick suffer a double whammy; they lose their health and then they lose their homes to pay for basic care.

"Liberal Democrats called for free care at the last General Election, we showed how it could be paid for. Labour, with the support of the Tories has relegated the elderly in England to the status of third class citizens. Thanks to the Liberal Democrats winning the case for free care the elderly in Scotland are treated with dignity and not discrimination."