Personal Care at Home Bill

My Lords, I am replying to this group of amendments: Amendment 17, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Best; Amendment 20, in the names of the noble Earl, Lord Howe, and the noble Baroness, Lady Morris; Amendment 38, in the names of the noble Lords, Lord Warner and Lord Lipsey, the noble Earl, Lord Howe, and the noble Baroness, Lady Murphy; Amendment 44, in the names of the noble Lord, Lord Best, and the noble Earl, Lord Howe; Amendment 45, in the names of the noble Lords, Lord Warner and Lord Lipsey, and the noble Baroness, Lady Murphy; Amendment 46, in the names of the noble Lords, Lord Warner and Lord Lipsey, the noble Baroness, Lady Murphy, and the noble Earl, Lord Howe; and Amendment 47, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Barker. This group seeks to address a number of issues concerning the Bill—the commencement date, the way in which it will be reviewed, and the cost of the Bill. It is right that legitimate concerns are raised about the way the provisions are introduced, the costs and how it will be reviewed. We do not agree that delay is needed or warranted. We have made it clear that we want to introduce the regulations so that they will take effect from 1 October this year and people can benefit from the earliest possible date. I think that it is disappointing that so many councils that have responded to the consultation have so far focussed almost solely on the financial aspects of the scheme—I will return to our view of their figures in a moment—and so little on the practicalities of implementation that we identified in our consultation document. These proposals are not brand new or a great surprise to these councils; what we are intending to do was signalled well in advance. Indeed, we are working with them and with other stakeholders on an almost constant, daily basis. We are committed to working very closely with them and supporting them through the process of introducing this. We know that this is a challenge for them, but we think that it is achievable if they start in a timely fashion. The Bill has a simple purpose: to bring relief to those disabled adults and older people who have the highest personal care needs. Despite the furore surrounding the Bill, we do not believe that our costs are underestimated. We think that they are a fair cost: £670 million, with £420 million funded from the Department of Health and £250 from local government efficiencies. The estimates of the costs of free personal care at home are derived from analyses by the Personal Social Services Research Unit at the London School of Economics, using its micro-simulation package for older people, with additional analysis by Department of Health analysts. We are confident about the accuracy of these estimates.