It has been announced today that the pledged social care reform will undergo a consultation under the Prime Minister’s minority government.
This is one of the numerous Conservative manifesto proposals which have been amended or dropped completely by Theresa May.
Set out by the Queen in a pared-down legislative agenda, the speech traditionally consolidates the intentions of the government in front of peers, MPs, judges and high commissioners in the House of Lords.
It comes after the recent general election where no party was able to obtain a majority.
The ceremonial event had been due to take place on 19 June, but was pushed back due to uncertainty surrounding the Conservative partnership with the DUP.
Potentially due to apprehensions about bills being passed through the House of Commons, a number of manifesto pledges have been amended or dropped entirely.
The reform of social care is an example of this. Heavily criticised by numerous sectors, the proposal involved aligning the means test for both domiciliary and residential care, with property being taken into account for both types. After the manifesto’s publication, Theresa May did state that an upper limit would be placed on the amount that people paid for their care.
In today’s speech, however, the Queen stated that the measures would be brought forward for consultation. As well as providing further support when preparing for old age, this will also involve putting the plans “on a more secure financial footing”.
The means-testing of winter fuel payments had also been highlighted by the Conservatives during the election. Applying to all over-60’s this is currently provided on a blanket basis, regardless of income. Today’s speech made no mention of this, suggesting it has either moved down the agenda, or has been dropped completely.
The departure from the EU remained high on the priority list, however, with eight of the 27 bills relating to what Brexit could mean for various industries.
A Civil Liability Bill, a Tenant’s Fees Bill and a Data Protection Bill were also highlighted in the speech, indicating the issues of importance on the new legislative agenda.
