News story

24th January 2002

MP challenges Prime Minister over "pocket money" indignity for pensioners

Northavon MP Steve Webb yesterday (Wednesday 23rd) challenged the Prime Minister in the House of Commons about rules which leave thousands of elderly pensioners dependent on a meagre allowance of £16 per week or less when living in residential care. The MP was highlighting the problems faced by many elderly residents of care homes who not only have to sell their own home to pay for care, but then find that their state pension is taken away as well to contribute to the care home fees. All they are given is an expense allowance of £16 per week which has to cover incidental costs such as presents for grandchildren, books and magazines or having their hair done. In some cases, councils or care homes withhold some of the £16 allowance leaving residents with even less cash of their own. At Prime Minister’ s Questions, Steve Webb highlighted this situation and said that this was a totally undignified way for
elderly people to have to spend the last years of their life. He challenged the Prime Minister to put an end to this scandal.

In reply, the Prime Minister said that there were many things on which more money could well be spent but that the Government had to decide its priorities. He said that more money had already been spent by the Government on pensions, the NHS and on care homes, but that there were limits.

Commenting after the exchange, Steve Webb said:

“The Prime Minister did not appear to understand that elderly residents of
care homes in these circumstances have their pensions taken off them. To
them the level of the state pension is an irrelevance. They are having to get by on what amounts to little more than pocket money, which is an affront to their dignity. I hope that the Prime Minister will now go away and investigate this problem and take steps to end what amounts to a scandal”.

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