Minister applauds Redbridge welfare

He highlighted "the quality, the intimacy and dignity that strike you when you walk into places like this. You see an organisation that has an ethos, that is about quality and that every person is treated with respect and as an individual. It's both moving and powerful and reinforces that Jewish Care is quite special - and it should be very proud of that."

At Rubens House, Mr Lewis accepted a scarf made by Hettie Tauber, 92, a resident for six years, who spoke of the camaraderie of those at the home, adding: "We make hats and other things so we can help raise money for the centres."

Impressed by the gift, he joked: "I'm a Manchester City fan but this looks like a Tottenham scarf."

On a more serious note, he discussed financial issues with Mr Morris, particularly the difficulty in obtaining adequate local authority funding in the current climate.