To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of nursing homes failing to pass on the free nursing care contribution to former preserved rights residents. [109002]

The nursing care of former preserved rights residents of care homes, as for other residents supported by councils, only became the responsibility of the national health service from 1 April 2003. These residents are placed under contracts made by councils and the NHS.They are not charged directly by providers for the nursing care that they receive. There is therefore no need for providers to pass on any contribution to them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 7 April 2003, Official Report, column 96W, on care homes, whether the care home providers the Minister wrote to (a) passed the contribution on to residents and (b) reduced their fees according to the banding that residents were placed in. [109017]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 25 April 2002, Official Report, column 457W. It should not be assumed that all the providers who were written to had, in every case, failed to pass on any financial benefit arising from the national health service funding part of their care.