Jeremy Lefroy
Main Page: Jeremy Lefroy (Conservative - Stafford)Department Debates - View all Jeremy Lefroy's debates with the Leader of the House
(14 years ago)
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Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)
This week’s Office for Budget Responsibility report states that
“if left unaddressed, upward pressure on spending from the ageing of the population might well eliminate the primary budget surplus”.
May we have a debate on that matter? May we also consider the innovative schemes run by local councils up and down the country to address it?
Sir George Young
I applaud any lateral thinking by local authorities throughout the country to deal with demographic pressures. One of the reasons we decided to increase in real terms the budget of the NHS was precisely to deal with the issue that my hon. Friend has touched on—the ageing of the population. Related to that is the extra £2 billion announced in October for adult services and social services. I hope that those, too, will have some impact in dealing with the demands for services as a result of the ageing of the population. When we get the localism Bill, my hon. Friend may have an opportunity to develop his argument at greater length.