Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Phil Hope has been appointed Minister of State for Care Services within the Department of Health by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Through this newly-created role Phil Hope will be responsible for older people, people with learning and physical disabilities and mental health problems.

Phil Hope will be replacing Ivan Lewis in the social care sector, but Minister Hopes role will be very different to Ivan Lewis's, as Hope will be a minister of state, increasing the sector's presence in Whitehall.

This is not the first time Hope has been involved in the social sector of government, as part of his social exclusion brief, he was responsible for key government targets on increasing the number of people with learning disabilities and mental health problems gaining accommodation and employment, education or training.

When talking about the social exclusion brief Hope said:

"I'm absolutely passionate about this agenda. It's what gets Labour politicians up in the morning."