Earlier this week the Queen’s Speech was given as is tradition for the State opening of Parliament. Delivered later than the planned 19th June due to the Conservative and DUP party’s delays in forming an agreement.
The speech set out the new government’s two-year legislative agenda and as expected, focused heavily on the legislation required for the UK to leave the EU. The changes to social care outlined in the Conservative manifesto as reported on previously appear to have been all but abandoned and replaced with a promise to “work to improve social care and bring forward proposals for consultation.”
The proposed changes to social care funding were heavily criticised in the weeks leading up to the election, and were dubbed by some as a ‘dementia tax’. The proposed reforms would have seen the asset threshold at which a person becomes responsible for their own care increased to £100,000 (up from £23,250) but would also have brought the family home into the means test in even assessments where the person would be receiving care in their own home, whereas currently the family home is only considered where a person is receiving residential care.
While it was later announced that there would be a cap on costs the Prime Minister failed to confirm exactly where that cap would be, however the BBC have confirmed that the promise of a cap will be honoured in the Green Paper likely to be introduced later this year.
