Community Care Policy: Implementation (Hansard, 16 July 1990)

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, we intend that our community care policy should get under way on 1st April 1991. As we have said for all our plans under the National Health Service and Community Care Act, implementation will be evolutionary.

§ Lord Carter
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for that reply, but it is becoming increasingly clear why the Government have so adamantly refused any form of ring-fencing or earmarking of government funds for community care. Is the Minister aware that in this House on 8th May, in another place on 27th June, and again in this House on 28th June, a succession of Ministers gave repeated assurances that adequate resources will be made available next April for the proper funding of the full community care plans as set out in the National Health Service and Community Care Bill? The Bill received Royal Assent on 29th June. Does the Minister agree that it would be a record to renege on such an important commitment within three weeks of making it?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, we considered very carefully the arguments for ring-fencing which were advanced by the noble Lord, among others. However, we believe that many of those arguments could be applied to other local authority programmes. We are not seeking to take over responsibilities of local authorities for community care but to support and encourage them by providing the right legislative and financial framework and helping to develop good managerial and professional practice. We shall continue to do that between now and the full implementation of the community care arrangements.

§ Lord Carter
My Lords, that is not an answer to the question I put to the Minister. My question was not about ring-fencing, which was a comment I made in passing. Are the plans to be introduced in full and without delay on 1st April 1991 as we have been told repeatedly in this House and in another place?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, perhaps that will teach the noble Lord that it is not wise to make 653 comments when asking questions. There is nothing further that I can say about the timetable except that we remain firmly committed to our policy on community care. The legislation is now in place and I know that the principles underpinning the policy are widely endorsed by those in the field.

§ Lord Ennals
My Lords, is the Minister saying that she is, or is not, committed to the timetable accepted in the legislation to which my noble friend referred; namely, that it should be implemented from 1st April 1991? If she is not, will she please say so? Is the noble Baroness aware that local authorities and voluntary organisations who are providing community care—and the 6 million carers themselves—will be absolutely shocked if the Government do not proceed with the legislation which both Houses have recently passed? Would that not be a cynical betrayal for electoral purposes?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, I am well aware of the many people in the field and throughout the service who are interested in the implementation of our community care proposals. I have said on previous occasions that we are delighted at the welcome given to our proposals. As I said in my original Answer, we still plan that implementation of the arrangements should get under way on 1st April 1991. Nevertheless, as I am sure the noble Lord is aware, an Opposition debate on community care implementation in another place is scheduled for Wednesday of this week. No doubt my right honourable friend the Secretary of State will then make a statement about the timetable. I cannot anticipate the contents of that statement today.

§ Lord Renton
My Lords, is it not refreshing to find noble Lords opposite so enthusiastic about the implementation of government legislation? Would they not be wise to accept the assurances that my noble friend has given?

§ Baroness Hooper
To that, my Lords, I can only say yes.

§ Lord Tordoff
My Lords, in the absence of any such assurances as to the completion of the process within reasonable time, is the noble Baroness aware that many people in the community care services are in a state of total bewilderment as to what is to happen? May we have an assurance that the statement to be made, we understand, on Wednesday will be repeated in this House? I am sure that noble Lords on all sides will wish to question the Minister on this subject.

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, in my experience those arrangements are left to the usual channels.

§ Lord Allen of Abbeydale
My Lords, the use of the word evolutionary fills one with foreboding. Does the Minister appreciate that, from all we read, the Government are managing to give the impression that they simply did not do their sums when they decided at last to implement the main Griffiths recommendations? That caused us to spend hours and hours trying to make sure that what they were proposing was being done correctly. Contrary to the impression given by the media, and if the matter has not yet been decided, 654 does not the Minister agree that the Government would be well advised to pause and reflect? Is she aware that the possibility of avoiding a small increase in the poll tax, which appears to be one of the relevant considerations, has to be set against the disappointment and frustration which will be widely felt at prolonging the hardship of many elderly, disabled and mentally handicapped people and, as has been pointed out, the 6 million carers?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, throughout our many discussions on this topic we have always made it clear that much of the detail had still to be sorted out. We certainly do not wish to slow down authorities who are getting ahead with their work on agreements with other agencies, planning their services and moving their approach to one of greater consumer and client orientation.

§ Lord Ennals
My Lords, are the Government to provide the money to enable the local authorities and the voluntary organisations to go ahead with implementing the legislation passed by both Houses of Parliament?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, no doubt that will be made clear.