23.12.16
May dismisses calls for health and social care funding to be integrated
Leading MPs have urged Theresa May to consider health and social care jointly after the prime minister announced a review of problems in the sector.
In an appearance before the Liaison Committee, which is made up of the heads of the House of Commons select committees, the prime minister admitted there were “pressures” on social care.
She said that her government was “already starting to look at” ensuring the sector’s long-term sustainability, accusing previous governments of “ducking the issue”.
When asked by Dr Sarah Wollaston, chair of the Health Select Committee, if the review would look at social care and the NHS together, May replied that it was “focused on social care” but would look at “how it interacts with health”.
Dr Wollaston has since stated that social care needed “to be looked at together with NHS funding and not in isolation”.
Clive Betts, chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, also agreed that the review would only succeed if it looked at health and social care together. Both MPs added that the review should be conducted on a cross-party basis.
May stated that the review would not come to any conclusions immediately, and that the government “wanted Parliament to have an opportunity” to look at the eventual proposals.
However, she rejected Betts’ idea that all parties should be involved from the beginning, arguing that all parties were involved in producing the Dilnot proposals and then some MPs opposed the final results.
May also defended the government’s decision to raise the social care precept to 3%, which local authorities have said is not enough to fix the crisis.
The prime minister admitted that introducing a 3% rise for two years instead of a 2% rise for three years meant there was no overall increase, but said that “bringing forward the money” was worth doing. She added that it was “wrong to assume that the only solution in social care is the solution about funding”.
When asked about her plans for Brexit, the prime minister did not confirm that Parliament would be able to vote on the final deal agreed with the European Union. She replied that there would be an “opportunity for Parliament to consider” the details of the arrangements.
Andrew Tyrie, chair of the Liaison Committee, said he was “surprised” that May was unable to give a clear answer.
(Image c. PA Wire/PA Images)
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