Personal Care at Home Bill

We, too, have listened carefully to what the Government have proposed, and we accept the position. We are critical of the Bill for the same reasons that the noble Lords Lipsey and Warner set out in the other place. We feel that it cuts against the process of reform that was first set out in the Green Paper. We do not see the Bill as a bridge to reform, as the Government have described it, but, at the very least, the amendments before us offer an opportunity to pause for reflection in the next Parliament. Likewise, we, too, take the view that we must move to implement a fundamental reform of social care in the next Parliament. It cannot wait until the Parliament after that. It is for that reason that I have concerns about the White Paper, which was published today, in that it delays a fundamental reform of the system, a reform that we think is long overdue. There are things in the White Paper that we strongly support, particularly the much closer integration of health and social care, the focus on prevention and ensuring the maximum choice and freedom for individuals in how the money is used, but we believe that there is an overwhelming case for getting on with reform, which we would want to see early in the next Parliament. Following the election we will continue to make the case for the three parties to work together to secure that reform as quickly as possible. Lords amendment 1 disagreed to. Lords amendment 2 agreed to, with Commons privileges waived in respect of Lords amendment..