Progress on social care undermined by puerile point scoring - Lamb

4.24.23pm GMT Wed 10th Feb 2010

Commenting on exchanges between Gordon Brown and David Cameron over the Government's social care Bill at Prime Minister's Questions today, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary & North Norfolk MP, Norman Lamb said:

"The theatrics at Prime Minister's Questions will do little to convince people that Labour or the Tories have any credible plan for sorting out funding for social care.

"Labour's pledge for personal care at home is going to be much more expensive than ministers claim, while the Tories' proposal will help only the limited number of people who need to go into a care home and have a spare £8,000.

"Making promises to vulnerable people that you can't deliver is grossly irresponsible.

"Gordon Brown revealed today that there has been an attempt to build consensus behind the scenes, involving myself, Andrew Lansley and Andy Burnham.

"After two meetings, I had drafted a statement of principles, but unfortunately any progress that had been made has now been undermined by this descent to a puerile level of political point scoring.

"The current system is in crisis with many elderly people getting inadequate care. The Liberal Democrats want to see a cross-party agreement on social care to sort this problem out once and for all."