HC Deb 12 April 1988 vol 131 cc2-4
2. Dr. Moonie

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services by what criteria applications for assistance from the special fund to help the severely disabled are to he judged; and if he will make a statement.

The Minister for Social Security and the Disabled (Mr. Nicholas Scott)

I announced the eligibility criteria for the independent living fund in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newark (Mr. Alexander) on 31 March. The fund will be primarily to make payments to very severely disabled people on low income who receive attendance allowance and need to employ domestic help to enable them to live independently in the community.

Dr. Moonie

How does the Minister reconcile his treatment of severely disabled people with the treatment of slightly less severely disabled people under the new provisions?

Mr. Scott

We have set out to ensure that this group, whose needs were drawn to our attention by a number of organisations and who need this extra help to sustain their independent lives in the community, should have the advantages of this flexible system administered by an independent trust.

Mr. Burns

Will my hon. Friend confirm that existing disabled recipients of supplementary benefit will enjoy a transitional scheme that will ensure that their benefits are in no way cut to a value less than they now enjoy?

Mr. Scott

Of course, they will enjoy cash transitional protection, but those who have domestic care assistance in excess of £10 a week will have protection in real terms; so they have been more generously treated than anyone else at the transitional point.

Mr. Fearn

Will the Minister confirm that applications from severely disabled people will go through the normal DHSS channels, and that the budgets for DHSS offices, which are now quite meagre, will be able to cope with this extra burden; or is the new special fund over and above that? If DHSS offices run out of money, severely disabled people will probably suffer.

Mr. Scott

I am glad to be able to confirm that this is entirely new money and that it will be administered by the new trust which has been established, details of which I announced on 31 March.

Mr. Baldry

Will my hon. Friend confirm that the money received from this fund will be additional and will not simply be taken away from the other benefit entitlements of recipients?

Mr. Scott

Indeed, any payments under this fund will be disregarded for the purpose of income-related benefits.

Mr. Alfred Morris

Is it not a disgrace that a fund that is supposed to protect some of those who are among the worst hit by yesterday's social security changes has not yet been formally constituted? Who are the trustees? Why did the Minister refuse this House information on costs that his Department gave to the press that same afternoon? Will the extra heating costs and special diet needs of disabled people be met by the fund? Why should Conservative Members attack the Bishop of Durham for describing as wicked changes—

Mr. Speaker

Order. That is well outside the scope of this question.

Mr. Morris

—in benefits, which will hit up to 500,000 disabled people?

Mr. Scott

Far from being a disgrace, the facilities of this fund for severely disabled people are a very important step in recognising their particular needs. It will be for the trustees to make the decisions in independent cases. [Interruption] I do not think that there is a delay. We want to get the trust deed right and the trustees in place in order to get the answer right rather than to meet some artificial deadline. Applications can already be made to the DHSS if people wish to apply, and speedy decisions will be possible as soon as the trust is established.