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Care Homes and Sheltered Accommodation (Domestic Pets) Bill

May I gently suggest that the hon. Gentleman should hear me out a little further, because I wish to discuss care homes and, indeed, sheltered housing, which would also rightly be covered by the reach of the Bill? However, it is important to find out where we are starting from before we work out the best way to go. Many local councils and care providers, as well as the Government's Directgov information service, publicise the work of the Cinnamon Trust to potential residents and provide links to it on their websites. Although the Government agree with the principle of the Bill, there are a number of practical difficulties with it in its current form and it is important to draw those to the attention of the House. Indeed, the hon. Member for Eastbourne has raised some of them in a very honest fashion. Although I freely admit that the matter appears at first glance to be straightforward, I know, having gone into it, that it involves many complexities. The Bill's drafting has sought to address that, and we have heard an acknowledgment in the debate that we would need to go further. There are many competing considerations and there is no single easy answer. It may help the House if I were to outline some of the main obstacles involved, but before I do so I wish to refer back to the data on the number of animals that it is said are destroyed. We understand that the figures come from a report that is 12 years old and, unfortunately, we have not been able to verify them as being more up to date. It would be useful to do so, and perhaps as we extend this discussion about the number of animals that are put down or have to be re-homed, the hon. Gentleman will seek to do so. On those obstacles, first, not all care homes or sheltered accommodation are suitable environments in which to keep pets. The layout of many premises, where residents have their own rooms or apartments but share social and recreational spaces, could make it difficult to ensure everyone's preferences are accommodated. Secondly, reconciling the wishes of all residents can be difficult; some may prefer not to share their environment with animals, but might hesitate to voice their objections in case it leads to disputes with fellow residents, and others may be allergic to, or even afraid of, animals. Thirdly, as I am sure hon. Members will agree, it is important to ensure that pets are properly exercised and cared for. Those residents who are frail or in poor health might find it difficult to do so themselves, however much they might wish to. That could put providers and their staff under pressure to care for residents' pets. In principle, that might not be a problem and, where staffing, layout and circumstances allow, the sector could, perhaps, provide extra staff and support, but the difficulty with the Bill in its current form is the fact that the legislation, if it were to force all such accommodation to allow pets, would be likely to result in extra cost to the taxpayer. Some 60 per cent. of the cost of residential care in England is funded by local authorities or the NHS, which pays for the nursing element of residential care. Obviously, we would have to consider that. Although our thoughts might turn to our own faithful and favourite family pets—a tabby cat, or a Yorkshire terrier, as we have already mentioned—I am sure that I do not need to remind hon. Members that pets come in all shapes and sizes. Some people keep rats; others keep snakes or spiders. The keeping, exercise and food requirements of a kitten are different from those of a Great Dane, and different again from those of a tarantula. Finally, although the risk is likely to be small, pets might bring with them certain health risks such as infections or parasites that are carried or transmitted by animals. Of course, those infections and parasites will differ depending on whether the pet is a kitten, a Great Dane or a tarantula. Those who are frail or in poor health might, of course—this is important—have less resistance to infection. I have concentrated on why it might not be practical, with the Bill as drafted, for people to keep pets in care homes and sheltered housing, but it is important that the House considers the wider questions about the role of local and central Government and the autonomy of individual providers. As hon. Members are aware, a number of care homes—the latest estimate suggests 750, or about 5 per cent.—allow pets. Although it is limited, there is some availability. Care home and sheltered housing providers are primarily independent, private sector organisations. We understand from the Elderly Accommodation Counsel, the charity that advises older people on housing and care, that of the 500,000 sheltered housing units, nearly half—that is 255,825 units—will consider accepting pets. The scale of the challenge is different in sheltered housing to the challenge in residential and care homes. Again, there is some degree of availability. Sheltered housing providers are paid from local budgets and operate under local contracts with local government. We would not wish to second-guess or dictate conditions to the market. Instead, the decision about whether or not to allow pets is in the hands of the care home and sheltered housing operators, working closely with the relevant local authorities. However, we want to encourage both the home care sector and local authorities not immediately to discount the idea of allowing pets to stay with their owners. That is the key point that the hon. Member for Eastbourne correctly made. Wherever practical, local government and its partners in the independent and private sectors should consider allowing pets in some of their care homes—and, indeed, in as many as possible. When I read the Bill, that is what I understood it to want. As the hon. Gentleman has rightly identified, there are major providers of housing and care—Housing 21 and the Anchor Trust, about which we have already heard—that are happy to consider allowing tenants and residents to keep their pets. We would encourage others to follow their example. There is a wider point to be made about pets in care homes and sheltered housing. Clearly, we all want to see the best conditions in care homes and supported accommodation, and I understand the role that pets can play. However, many people have told us that what they would really like, above all, is to remain in their own home. Of course, if one lives in one's own home, one is free to keep a pet. I feel that increasing the number of people who can stay in their own home will help with this important matter. We do not want to sweep the whole thing under the carpet, but we want to reduce the number of people for whom the only option is to leave their home. The Government are keen to ensure that as many people as possible are supported in remaining in their home for as long as they wish. That would greatly help people to keep their pets. The House will be aware that that is what the Personal Care at Home Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, is all about. It focuses on providing personal care for those who live in their own home, including in sheltered or supported accommodation, and will support those adults with the highest personal care needs in England. It will enable all those people with the greatest care needs, including many with serious dementia or multiple sensory impairments, to protect their savings. It will also benefit a wider group of people by maintaining or improving their ability to live at home for longer and, of course, by helping them to keep their pets. Let me give a sense of scale regarding the number of people for whom we seek to do that. The Bill guarantees free personal care to 280,000 of those people with the highest needs, of whom 110,000 will receive free personal care for the first time. Currently, those 110,000 people receive personal care but have to pay for it, either in part or in full, themselves. Of those 110,000, some 90,000 are older people aged 65 or over, and 20,000 are younger adults aged 18 to 64. The Personal Care at Home Bill is a step towards setting up a new national care service.