Ministers confirmed that the £72,000 limit on bills for residential care was being pushed back to the final few weeks of the parliament after "genuine concerns" were raised about its introduction.

Rossanna Trudgian, Head of Campaigns and Activism at Mencap said:

"We welcome the government delay to the introduction of the care cap. The care system is critically under-funded and too many people with a learning disability are not getting the support they need. Getting a sustainable care system should be the priority before the introduction of a care cap.

"Many people with a learning disability, their parents and carers are very worried that further pressure on social care funding will have a negative impact on their lives. This combined with welfare cuts could lead to many more people with a learning disability to not get the right care and support they need to live independent and fulfilling lives."

-ENDS-

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact the Mencap press office on 020 7696 5414 or media@mencap.org.uk.

Notes to editors

About Mencap

There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to education, employment and leisure facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.

For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact the Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday) or email help@mencap.org.uk.

What is a learning disability?

A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life.

People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.

Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’.