HL Deb 24 July 2000 vol 616 cc89-90

(" .—(1) Subsection (3) applies to information which is held by, or by a person providing services to, the Secretary of State and which relates to income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance.

(2) Subsection (3) also applies to information relating to housing benefit which is held by—

  1. (a) an authority administering housing benefit, or
  2. (b) a person authorised to exercise any function of such an authority relating to housing benefit.

(3) Information to which this subsection applies may be supplied to—

  1. (a) a local authority to which any grant is or will be paid under section 86, or
  2. (b) a person authorised to exercise any function of that authority relating to that grant,
for purposes connected with the application of that grant towards expenditure falling within section 86(1) or (2) (as the case may be).

(4) Information which is supplied to an authority or other person under subsection (3) may be supplied by the authority or person to a person who provides qualifying welfare services for purposes connected with the provision of those services.

(5) For the purposes of this section a person is to be regarded as providing qualifying welfare services if—

  1. (a) he provides welfare services,
  2. (b) a local authority contribute or will contribute to the expenditure incurred by him in providing those services, and
  3. (c) that contribution is or will be derived (in whole or in part) from any grant which is or will be paid to the authority under section 86.

(6) In this section "local authority" and "welfare services" have the same meaning as in section 86.

(7) The Secretary of State may by order make such modifications of this section as he considers necessary or expedient in consequence of any provision corresponding to section 86 which is enacted by the Scottish Parliament.")

Lord Whitty

My Lords, I beg to move that the House to agree with the Commons in their Amendments Nos. 350 and 351 and speak to the other amendments in the group.

This group of amendments deals with welfare services and will improve the implementation of the Government's commitment in Supporting People. We want Supporting People to enhance the quality of support services and to ensure that the right service is provided at the right time.

Amendment No. 350 requires the Secretary of State and the National Assembly to consult with local authorities, with people using the service and with service providers. Consultation is already an important part of the development of the Supporting People proposals on welfare services and we intend that such formal and informal consultation should continue in the future. That should provide some reassurance to all stakeholders concerned.

Amendment No. 351 allows transfer of information at the point of transition to the new programme. This is effectively a technical amendment but will allow support services to be maintained until a thorough review of the service or scheme has been undertaken. This will protect people who currently receive support services, for example, older people in sheltered housing about whom some concern was expressed at earlier stages of the Bill.

Clause 87 of the Bill provides that housing benefit and to some extent other benefits will cease paying for the vast majority of support services once Supporting People is implemented. Block grants will he paid to the provider rather than individual grants to the tenant. We want to make sure that the support charge payments that providers are receiving through the relevant benefits before 2003 continue under this scheme at least until the scheme is reviewed. It is, therefore, vital that the grant-making body responsible for distributing money knows which providers in a given area should receive a support service grant to cover the charges no longer covered by benefit.

The disclosure of this information allowed by Amendment No. 351 is in the best interest of claimants so that the provider does not start to charge them for services which are being funded out of the grant and to aid a seamless transition.

Amendment No. 352, to which the noble Baroness has an amendment, will protect the rights of benefit claimants from unlawful disclosure of information relating to a particular person. The other amendments in this group are consequential.

Moved, That the House do agree with the Commons in their Amendments Nos. 350 and 351.—(Lord Whitty.) On Question, Motion agreed to.