HL Deb 27 July 1988 vol 500 cc251-2

Lord Mottistone asked Her Majesty's Government:

When a report in accordance with Section 11 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 can be expected.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Lord Skelmersdale)

My Lords, the first report is expected to be laid before the end of 1989.

Lord Mottistone

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer. Is he aware that in March of last year Mr. John Major expected to implement Section 11 during 1987 and that in March of this year Mrs. Currie proposed to implement it as soon as possible? Is what he is now saying not a little dilatory in view of the promises of his colleagues in another place last year and this year?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, the Körner data on which the report will be based are delayed, as I told the House just the other day. However, the most recent data on the numbers of mentally ill and mentally handicapped people treated in hospitals are already available to the House in the Library.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, is the Minister aware that many disabled people and many of those who represent them believe that the continued delay in publishing the report under Section 11 of the Act is linked with the Government's prolonged delay in publishing the results of the OPCS survey which shows that, at 6 million, there are about twice as many disabled people as the Government had assumed? Will the Minister confirm that the review of disability benefits will quickly follow the publication of the surveys? Can he give any more information about when those surveys will be published?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, there is absolutely no connection between the implementation of Section 11 of the Act and the OPCS survey which is due to be published in two halves, the first later this year.

Lord Mottistone

My Lords, will my noble friend pay particular attention to the fact that this whole process is distressing to the carers of the mentally ill and mentally handicapped and indeed to the sufferers as well? There may be all kinds of administrative reasons, but will he not take to heart the fact that people need to have this information and that there might be a little more genuine effort to produce the reports as promised in earlier times?

Lord Skelmersdale

Yes, my Lords, I take my noble friend's point. However, it is important that statistical information of whatever kind should be accurate and based on firm data. It has been agreed over the past 18 months or so that the proposals in the Körner Report will produce this data. Until they start to come through and start to be evaluated there is no point in putting a report on this or any other matter before Parliament.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, as the noble Lord has said—and no one would disagree with him—that the information should be correct, why did his two colleagues in another place indicate, first, that the report would be published last year, and then that it would he published this year? If the information is available in the Library, why cannot it be published according to the Act of Parliament?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, fully annotated and correct information is not available. What is available in the Library is a continuation of the existing set of figures which have been found to be inadequate. The answers of my colleagues the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and the then Minister of State, Mr. Major, which have been mentioned in the House this afternoon, were made before the delays in the implementation of the Körner statistics were known.

Back to