SUBMISSION BY ISLE OF MAN PENSIONERS' ASSOCIATION to CONSULTATION PAPER on the SOCIAL SERVICES BILL 2009
Closing date October 31st
The Isle of Man Pensioners Association is a membership organisation campaigning for all pensioners on the island to receive an adequate retirement pension rather than suffering the 2 tier system at present in place where some receive a 50 % Supplement to their income and others do not.
In essence IOMPA welcomes the Social Services Bill 2009, which will update social care legislation in line with policy and practice.
We are however concerned over some aspects of the Bill which do not appear to reflect the fact that many people transfer to the island (mainly from UK) where they will be in receipt of social care already. They will presumably feel entitled to continue receiving this support. Also an increasing number of people who work on the island seem to be bringing their parents here either to help with the grandchildren or so they can support their parents in their old age.
Older people may have physical, sensory impairment, learning disabilities, mental health problems or indulge in drug and alcohol abuse as defined in the Bill. The Policy Objectives of the Bill are to enable people to live independently, to restrict to the minimum any intervention in people's lives and to target services at those in need. Also to assess the needs of the person and their career.
Some people transferring to the island, whether to be their families or not, will have had their needs assessed already. We cannot see how you will be able to justify restricting eligibility for SOCIAL CARE and CARER SUPPORT to those people who have lived on the island for 5 years. The idea that 'if you haven't paid in you don't get out' cannot apply in these instances because people transfer from other parts of the UK where they have paid tax and National Insurance and will continue to pay tax when they arrive in the Isle of Man.
These people will have paid in elsewhere for a service they are denied here.
The same situation applies to pensioners who are denied the IOM Pension Supplement because they paid their N I contributions in the UK.
We would find it very difficult to support a Bill that excludes older people with physical disabilities, sensory impairment, learning disabilities or mental health and drug or alcohol problems merely because they had not lived here on the Isle of Man for 5 years. We suggest it would be preferable to negotiate some sort of reciprocal agreement which enables some funding to transfer with residency. This would acknowledge that people have paid elsewhere for services they are not now going to receive and they would bring with them some resources that can be used to fund the Social Care and Support for Carers which will enable them to live here in the community.
Paul Chambers
Chairman
Isle of Man Pensioners' Association