Bath-Knight Blog

The Queen’s Speech- draft social care bill announced

The Queen addressed both Houses of Parliament this morning when she delivered the annual Queen’s Speech to open parliament. In one of the most lavish occasions in Parliament’s calendar, the Queen outlined the government’s legislation for the year ahead.

The speech revealed nineteen bills including a Children and Families Bill, a Crime and Courts Bill and the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill that safeguards suppliers against powerful supermarket chains.

However many are disappointed to hear that a full bill on social care was not outlined. Instead a draft bill was announced during the Queen’s Speech much to the disapproval of people who are carers or supporters of elderly charities such as Age UK, who have campaigned for reform in social care’s law and funding.

The sheer volume of support for campaigns such as Age UK’s Care in Crisis– a campaign that has seen thousands sign petitions, write to parliament and even campaign at Westminster- displays how in demand change to the current care system is making today’s announcement deeply disappointing.

However, Age UK has released a statement which looks positively at the draft bill. As the leading charity for older people in the UK they plan to work with the government to make legislation possible next year and urge campaigners to continue backing social care reforms for as long as needs be.