Finance Committee, 23 Oct 2007

Meeting date: Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Official Report 216KB pdf

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Free Personal Care (Independent Funding Review)

Item 3 is consideration of a letter from the independent review group for free personal care, which is headed by Lord Sutherland. Members will note that the review group has asked whether we would like to make a submission to it. As the note from the clerks makes clear, the timescale for responding is tight, with a deadline of 9 November.

The Health Committee and the Audit Committee last session undertook inquiries into free personal care, but the previous Finance Committee did not do any work on the issue. Whether we decide to respond to the review or not, committee members are not precluded from making submissions on an individual basis. As I have said, the timing is tight, and two other committees are also examining the matter in a specialist way. Do members think that we should make a collective submission?

I do not see how we can. We have taken no evidence on the issue, in this session or in previous sessions, so we have no basis on which to make a submission. However, as you say, individuals could make submissions from their own perspectives.

The answer is yes, we should make a submission, but I do not think that we can.

Yes. It is a matter of practicality.

Looking at the options that are before us, I think that it would be more useful to do some work after the publication of the group's report and to consider the financial implications then. That would be the correct point for us to come in, and we should definitely do so.

We could ask the clerks to draft something and bring it back to the committee by a suitable date. We are clear that we do not wish to make a submission to the review group, but I ask the clerks to look into the relevance of the subject for the committee. That will be of great help.

Is it agreed that the committee does not wish to make a submission?

Members indicated agreement.

Meeting continued in private until 15:54.