Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing NHS-funded care home residents with long-term health conditions to claim benefits.

It is a long-standing principle of social policy that there should not be double provision for the same contingency out of public funds. People whose placement in a nursing home is funded by NHS Continuing Healthcare are not asked to contribute to their support. Legislation provides that where any costs of qualifying services are borne out of public funds the disability benefits (Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment) are withdrawn after 28 days.