NATIONAL PENSIONERS CONVENTION REPORT OF MEETING WITH LIZ KENDALL SHADOW CARE MINISTER

This Meeting Was Attended By Dot Gibson & Neil Duncan-Jordon, it Took Place On March 26th 2012.

NPC Dignity Code.

The shadow care Minister congratulated the NPC on the campaign and coverage it had organised in support of the Dignity Code (which she had signed). The NPC asked what she could do to promote it, both inside her own party and within Parliament more generally. She felt that it was important to get local authorities to adopt the code and suggested that the NPC meet with the Local Government Association to discuss the details, but did not suggest anything specific that she would do to promote the code any further.

Social Care White Paper. 

The shadow care minister explained that cross-party confidential talks were currently taking place surrounding the issue of social care, but as yet there was no agreement on the contents of the forthcoming White Paper. Rather than a progress report on the issue of funding which the Government has promised, the opposition are calling for Legislation. The shadow minister confirmed that the Dilnot Commission's recommendations were a small part of the discussions taking place and accepted that there were many other issues such as quality of care that still needed to be addressed. She was unable to confirm whether or not the Government were considering putting a cap of £100,000 on the amount an individual would ever have to pay for their care - and did not say whether Labour would support this approach or not.

National Care Service

The shadow care minister felt that Parliament was lagging behind the public on understanding the importance of social care, because many politician's had very little experience of the issue. Labour had not abandoned the idea of a National Care Service (as proposed in the 2010 election manifesto) but had yet to make decisions on future policy. If they did put it forward, it could be funded through a deferred payment scheme taken from the sale of the property after the individual had died (dubbed a death tax at the time). The shadow minister also said that it was important that the NPC kept up the pressure up on the political parties, to ensure that social care remained at the top of the political agenda.