HC Deb 26 July 1993 vol 229 cc727-8W
Mr. Alan Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for support have been made to the Independent Living (1993) Fund; how many offers of support have been made by the trustees; how many awards are now in payment; and how many cases there have been where the trustees of the fund have been unable to reach agreement on the sharing of responsibility with local authority social services departments.

Mr. Scott

I am informed by the director of the Independent Living (1993) Fund that as of 19 July 1993, 260 applications for support had been received by the fund. Of these 67 were rejected because they did not meet the basic eligibility criteria for help from the fund. The remainder are at various stages in the application process, and 14 offers of help have been made. There are four awards that have been accepted and put into payment. There has been one case where an applicant gained the initial support of a local authority which then failed to agree a care package with the fund.

Mr. Alan Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out in detail how accountability is to be made to Parliament for the use of public funds provided to the trustees of the Independent Living (1993) Fund and the Independent Living (Extension) Fund.

Mr. Scott

The published Government accounting rules and procedures, as set out in "Government Accounting—A guide on accounting and financial procedures for the use of Government Departments", apply to both the Department and the funds in accounting to Parliament for this use of public money.

Mr. Alan Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assurances he has received from statutory and charitable services that they will be able to fill the gap created by the decision of the trustees of the Independent Living (1993) Fund to exclude seriously disabled people who are terminally ill from eligibility for support from the fund.

Mr. Scott

The aim of the Independent Living (1993) Fund is to provide long-term support for severely disabled people who wish to live independently.

It is the statutory responsibility of health authorities and local social service departments to make provision for people who are terminally ill. Support for such people is also provided by charitable and voluntary organisations.

Mr. Alan Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he is satisfied that care of severely disabled people who are terminally ill will now normally be provided on a cost-effective basis following the decision of the trustees of the Independent Living (1993) Fund to exclude the terminally ill from the scope of the fund.

Mr. Scott

The action of the trustees of the Independent Living (1993) Fund in no way detracts from the responsibility of health authorities and local social services departments to provide care and support for terminally ill people in a cost-effective way.