The Government has refused to lower the proposed social care eligibility criteria to 'moderate'.

Speaking in a House of Commons public bill committee yesterday, care and support minister Norman Lamb said it would cost £2.7bn.

Some MPs had argued for the eligibility threshold to be reduced in the Care Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament.

Labour MP for Easington, Grahame Morris, said: ‘I regret that, in my opinion, if we set the eligibility threshold at substantial rather than moderate I do not think we are addressing the care crisis.

‘It is older and disabled people with moderate care needs whose needs are going to escalate and who are going to rely more on emergency care if they are shut out of the social care system because the threshold is set too high.

‘There will be a problem if the cap means that only the people with the most substantial needs are eligible.

‘Those people will not go into care, but will get worse in their own homes and will present at A&E.

‘It is a false economy because it will create a great demand on resources.’

Labour MP for South Shields, Emma Lewell-Buck added: ‘I am realistic and I understand that money is scarce, but setting a high eligibility threshold that denies people care is not a long-term solution.

‘The condition of people with moderate needs often deteriorates if they are left unsupported.

‘When they then hit a crisis, the point of acute care is a far greater burden on the taxpayer.’

Since 2010, £1.8bn has been cut from social care budgets and there has been a 60% reduction in the number of councils providing care for people with moderate needs.

But Mr Lamb said: ‘I would characterise the opposition’s contributions as being strong on the wringing of hands but not that strong on any solution.

‘I am sure that we would all, ideally, like the minimum threshold to be set at a lower level.

‘The bottom line is that whatever the Government puts forward has to be affordable.’