§ Mr. HuttonI beg to move amendment No. 34, in page 3, line 33, leave out "and" and insert—
'( ) for paragraph (b), substitute—Section 1(1) of the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996—a pioneering piece of social care policy introduced by the previous Administration, for which we give them credit—provides for regulations to be made specifying the persons who may receive direct payments. We have made such regulations. Only those persons specified in the regulations are eligible for direct payments.(b) in the case of a person—
- (i) whose needs the local authority have decided call for the provision of community care services, he is of a description which is specified for the purposes of this subsection by regulations made by the Secretary of State, or
- (ii) whom the local authority have decided to provide with services under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000, he is not of a description so specified by regulations made by the Secretary of State,"; and'.
The position is different for carers. The policy intention is that all carers assessed as needing carers' services under the Bill should be eligible for direct payments. We have taken a power to exclude certain descriptions of carers in regulations to ensure flexibility should particular circumstances arise.
The amendment would allow local councils to make direct payments to all carers who have been assessed as needing carers' services, unless they are excluded because they are of a description specified in regulations. I urge the House to accept this important technical amendment.
§ Amendment agreed to.