:00:20. > :00:25.Bridgend were patches are afraid it is to ensure that they refldct and
:00:26. > :00:30.increases in the cost of living they are operated angularly aligned
:00:31. > :00:33.with the consumer prices Index CPI figure, this is the segment of the
:00:34. > :00:37.Department for Work and Pensions users to upgrade and Social Security
:00:38. > :00:42.disability benefits and is hn keeping with other public sdrvice
:00:43. > :00:45.schemes. Our approach ensurds consistency with the measurds of
:00:46. > :00:49.inflation used by the bank of England, were patches will decrease
:00:50. > :00:58.when the annual CPI figures next increases. The government ddserves
:00:59. > :01:03.credit for shunning the Armdd Forces covenant and law. I'm sure the
:01:04. > :01:07.entire house endorses the sdcretary to said in the latest report, we
:01:08. > :01:14.have a duty to ensure our sdrvicemen and women are treated fairlx. In
:01:15. > :01:21.days, his department published a written statement entitled war
:01:22. > :01:26.pension scheme operated 2016. There is no upgrading. What pensions have
:01:27. > :01:30.been frozen for two years. But the Minister agree that what pensions
:01:31. > :01:36.should be treated the same `s someone like me, who is in receipt
:01:37. > :01:41.of a state pension and as a result of the triple block, is guaranteed
:01:42. > :01:44.to increase every year? And that the defence secretary said, we have a
:01:45. > :01:48.duty to ensure our servicemdn and women are treated fairly and no more
:01:49. > :01:54.so than those who have been injured in serving our country. It hs
:01:55. > :02:01.important to make clear that despite its name, and what a simple and
:02:02. > :02:05.pension is not a state penshon, it is a form of compensation for
:02:06. > :02:08.disablement and or injuries. Cost by service to the country, it hs
:02:09. > :02:15.tax-free, it is payable in `ddition to state retirement pension,
:02:16. > :02:19.pavements are set at a highdr rate than similar disability bendfits and
:02:20. > :02:27.it is also the case that most were pensioners at retirement agd will be
:02:28. > :02:32.in receipt of both pensions. The war pension scheme and close related to
:02:33. > :02:35.employment, so the angel upgrading so should be related to earnings
:02:36. > :02:36.inflation and not price inflation. With the Minister to the Hotse what
:02:37. > :02:40.would be the cost to the trdasury to would be the cost to the trdasury to
:02:41. > :02:49.think the war pension schemd to earnings and not impatient? Another
:02:50. > :02:55.head, without calculation to answer the question, I am not award the
:02:56. > :02:58.treasury has done so. The principles should be clear here, under the
:02:59. > :03:05.compensation scheme and the war pension screen the Mets gamd, they
:03:06. > :03:08.are assessed on the level of visibility, based on the assessment
:03:09. > :03:14.they are compensated for thdir damned loss of earnings and civilian
:03:15. > :03:18.employment. After that, the principle is that the return of
:03:19. > :03:23.purchasing power of the age,old patent should be maintained and it
:03:24. > :03:27.is therefore indexed to the consumer Price Index, which is the index
:03:28. > :03:38.applied by the DWP to all dhsability pensions. Patches are losing value,
:03:39. > :03:43.in comparison to military and civilian. -- pensions. It is
:03:44. > :03:56.inexplicable that a disabled comp rats cannot have -- comrades, and of
:03:57. > :04:03.backside, Terry this case... We are not all added together the triple
:04:04. > :04:13.pension. Members of the Armdd Forces pension. Members of the Armdd Forces
:04:14. > :04:19.will benefit from the tripld block. I do think there are broader issues
:04:20. > :04:22.to be considered here, one hs that maintaining parity with Sochal
:04:23. > :04:27.Security disability benefits is in principle the right thing to do
:04:28. > :04:34.Secondly, that is the affordability issue as a government, as a nation
:04:35. > :04:37.also we have to stick with the long-term economic plan and we have
:04:38. > :04:46.to continue to live within our means. Surprised there are no
:04:47. > :04:57.conservatives wanting to defeat -- arriving. To defend our servicemen,
:04:58. > :05:03.prepare to go along to me a break, but when it comes to it the Minister
:05:04. > :05:08.gave it a way. He said the word affordability. These are people who
:05:09. > :05:12.we must afford to uphold thd benefits and pensions, otherwise we
:05:13. > :05:19.are not honouring the memorx of the people who have died and served our
:05:20. > :05:31.country soap well in the past. - soap well. We do. They are not
:05:32. > :05:47.disadvantaged. Can a ministdr to me what the position is... Of the world
:05:48. > :05:53.Windows -- war widows, who `re in the same position,... Candid
:05:54. > :05:57.minister assured me that thd wonderful change brought in where
:05:58. > :06:11.widows can marry again without losing pensions, is affected in any
:06:12. > :06:24.way or will remain as it is now And change was introduced, as the 1st of
:06:25. > :06:30.April of last year that those who are up with old and had a w`r widows
:06:31. > :06:35.pension can keep that pension with are not they enter into a stbsequent
:06:36. > :06:43.marriage, but as regards cases that fall before that cutoff point, and
:06:44. > :06:46.has been the policy of succdssive governments that changes or
:06:47. > :06:50.improvements to all public service pension schemes should not be
:06:51. > :06:55.applied retrospectively, so there are no plans to reinstate w`r widows
:06:56. > :07:03.pensions where widows who'vd read marry between 1973 and 2005. Those
:07:04. > :07:06.who have already submitted the pension due to breathe marrhage
:07:07. > :07:16.cannot thought to have their attention to restore for life. -
:07:17. > :07:19.remarriage. On Saturday, 210 gets ago, Lord Nelson was put in the
:07:20. > :07:26.crypt at St Paul's and said that when he died, he would have lack of
:07:27. > :07:30.progress in grades on his hdart We now have 13. -- frigates. Does the
:07:31. > :07:33.Minister said that he will be disappointed but that it will we
:07:34. > :07:47.ordered the new forgets to replace the ones that are ageing? I think
:07:48. > :07:54.that is another question. M`naging provide effective as a local
:07:55. > :07:57.responsibility. I cannot colment on the finances of individual
:07:58. > :08:03.providers, but Care Quality Commission has oversight of the
:08:04. > :08:07.larger providers. I'll supply a local authorities would wonders if
:08:08. > :08:11.one of the businesses were to fail an activity to cease allowing time
:08:12. > :08:16.for plans to be implemented. The Department of Health will
:08:17. > :08:20.co-ordinate any national response. I thank him for his response, but
:08:21. > :08:24.disappointment that cannot be more reassuring for the follow-up double
:08:25. > :08:28.result from the collapse of major and small providers in the care
:08:29. > :08:33.industry. The problem is wider than four stages give it the rishng of
:08:34. > :08:37.care that is postponement of the care cap and the ability of local
:08:38. > :08:47.authorities to increase these rising cost and a man. Affected 31,000 for
:08:48. > :08:51.a leave patients who had to be. . Surely the Minister recognises this
:08:52. > :08:54.and then needs to be about ` government strategy to ensure the
:08:55. > :08:57.financial sustainability of the sector and it with the huge scale of
:08:58. > :09:04.causes that what happen unldss funding problems are addressed. The
:09:05. > :09:11.collapse of Southern Cross hnto 2011 but the main reason why the less
:09:12. > :09:16.government to oversee government oversight responsibilities which
:09:17. > :09:25.will give early warnings of any failures of any large... Ophnion is
:09:26. > :09:27.worth noting that the LGA bdlieves 95% of local authorities have
:09:28. > :09:37.contingency plans ready to implement. The former health
:09:38. > :09:43.minister called for a cross party commission to review future funding
:09:44. > :09:50.for helping care services in this country. With the Minister `gree
:09:51. > :09:54.that we have to start talking now honestly and openly about what
:09:55. > :10:02.standards of help that people can expect, now and in the future, and
:10:03. > :10:08.the idea that a commission to look in that and, with a strong
:10:09. > :10:20.recommendations tend to be ` rather good idea? Can he comment on whether
:10:21. > :10:23.he agrees? The idea of the commission has been discussdd in
:10:24. > :10:29.number of times in this house that I have think is coming up on the
:10:30. > :10:33.debate on Thursday. I will save now that the government and the spending
:10:34. > :10:38.review is enabling local authorities to increase their preset by 2% and
:10:39. > :10:43.increasing their contribution to the Better Care fund by 1.5 the imp
:10:44. > :10:51.which will see a real incre`se in the resources available for adult
:10:52. > :10:53.social care. -- 1.5 billion. When he agreed that in certain circtmstances
:10:54. > :10:59.of provide a fair, what is really important that residents residents
:11:00. > :11:06.maintaining their existing homes and that in fact during the Southern
:11:07. > :11:11.cross incident, that was achieved in the majority of cases and is often
:11:12. > :11:14.possible to separate the gohng concern basis of individual homes
:11:15. > :11:24.and commercial situation of the providers at home? I fully `gree
:11:25. > :11:35.residence and the homes, not there residence and the homes, not there
:11:36. > :11:41.to prop up a provider. That is a entirely different matter. Hn the
:11:42. > :11:53.event that Southern Cross the date go, very few homes close as a result
:11:54. > :12:01.of that at the time. Can I `sk if the Minister is working with the
:12:02. > :12:05.Department of Health to enstre the new financial instrument whdre an
:12:06. > :12:10.individual can invest in a single room and a care home for a
:12:11. > :12:15.guaranteed rent, protected tser of that from as much as it provides any
:12:16. > :12:20.yield for the investor, and then student sector shown that this is a
:12:21. > :12:26.mixed result. Students can be run elsewhere, elderly care presidents
:12:27. > :12:33.have nowhere else to go, and their protection could be affected if
:12:34. > :12:44.investors have to move out puickly. I cannot see what the questhon is
:12:45. > :12:47.coming from. The instrument that my friend, I am not fully briefed on
:12:48. > :12:57.this matter. I'll have to rdsearch it and get back to her. Does the
:12:58. > :13:02.Minister agree that the four seasons, which is the subject of the
:13:03. > :13:08.question is only one of the groups facing a financial crisis? Ht is
:13:09. > :13:13.estimated that by 2020, there will be a funding gap of three Mhlken
:13:14. > :13:19.pounds for the residential care sector and social care groups want
:13:20. > :13:24.the Chancellor of this before the item statement. -- 3 million. At the
:13:25. > :13:30.government any long-term pl`n for funding and improving social care or
:13:31. > :13:38.is a committed to solutions and for saying it's a matter local
:13:39. > :13:40.authorities? It is a matter for local authorities, but the
:13:41. > :13:45.government and he spent the review are making available in othdr ? .5
:13:46. > :13:52.billion for the Better Care fund and allow local authorities to raise
:13:53. > :13:58.special preset of 2%. I think the oversight divisions of CTC cover
:13:59. > :14:02.some 45 providers which covdr some 20% of the market, it is intended
:14:03. > :14:10.that will give early warning to local authorities of a likely
:14:11. > :14:16.collapse. The minister confhrmed that anybody who has to card package
:14:17. > :14:18.funded by local authority is entitled to alternative provision,
:14:19. > :14:22.anybody who is a self-funded and under the law is entitled to only
:14:23. > :14:26.advice, if the government t`king set for local authorities to brhng
:14:27. > :14:29.ensure that people and their families are aware of exactly what
:14:30. > :14:35.they are and how to meet with the event that the care home were too
:14:36. > :14:45.close? As up to local authorities to have contingency in place. @s I
:14:46. > :14:48.said, the local government `uthority had indicated that 95% of local
:14:49. > :14:57.authorities have their plans in place. The demise of the care home
:14:58. > :15:02.residents of the problems f`ced by southern cross were dealt would vary
:15:03. > :15:08.significantly by the rest of the care home sector, activation of the
:15:09. > :15:12.happening was a robust condhtion. Can the Minister reassure us that
:15:13. > :15:22.the care home sector is currently an equally robust condition?