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Health and Social Care Bill

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak briefly to the amendments, because I had the pleasure of moving amendments in Committee on these matters. At that time, we did not move the Government very far, but I was pleased that the Minister later agreed to meet a delegation, including a consortium of outside organisations, as well as myself and others, to discuss the issues and has moved in a positive direction. I am grateful for that, as I am sure others are. The problem we face is that the Human Rights Act 1998 applies to citizens in relation to the state, and that self-funders in private care homes do not have a relationship with the state in that context. It seems that we are moving towards a situation in which the others—those who are funded by local authorities in private care homes—will be able to exercise their human rights under that Act, as will all those in the few remaining public sector care homes. My concern is about self-funders in private care homes. One can foresee an anomalous situation involving two residents in adjacent rooms, whereby one is funded by the state and protected by the Human Rights Act, and the other is not. That would clearly be unsatisfactory, and one would want to see some change. Such a situation arises from two changes that have taken place over the past few years, both of which I opposed. Although it was not opposed by the three major parties, I opposed the large-scale privatisation of care homes. If they were all in the public sector, there would not be a problem; and if all care home residents were funded by the state, as had been recommended by the royal commission on long-term care, there would not be a problem, but such people are in a double bind. One or other of those things does not apply to them, and thus they are in difficulty. As I have said many times, in this Chamber and elsewhere, I would like a rapid move towards full state funding for all care home residents, paid for out of general taxation. I hope that at some future stage that will come to pass—I would like to think it will happen under my own Government—and I would also like the re-establishment of a strong public sector care homes sector.