§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the reasons for the delay in implementing section 11 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 originally intended to be brought into force in December 1986; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottProblems with coverage and timetables have delayed the planned production towards the end of this year of a report under section 11 of the Act based on new data collection systems for health and social services. We expect to produce a comprehensive report next year.
The most recent data, based on the old system of collection, on in-patient treatment of mentally ill and mentally handicapped people are already available in the Library—"Mental Handicap Hospitals and Units in England", bulletin 2/3/88 and "Mental Illness Hospitals and Units in England", bulletin 2/2/88.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what discussions he has had with voluntary organisations concerning implementation of section 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986; and if he will make a statement;
593W(2) what discussions he has had with voluntary organisations concerning implementation of section 7 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what discussions he has had with voluntary organisations concerning regulations to be made under of sections 1 and 2 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottMy predecessor met representatives of a number of voluntary organisations last year to discuss the implementation of various sections of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986, and there has been subsequent correspondence. Implementation of each section of the Act can take place only as the necessary resources are identified and made available, and we shall have full discussions at the appropriate time about implementation of each of the remaining sections. We value the contributions of the voluntary organisations to this process and we are always happy to consider any views they may have on the implementation of any section of the Act.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that the money allocated to local authorities in the current year for implementation of sections 5 and 6 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 is being spent on this purpose; anti if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottIt is for local authorities to ensure that they fulfil their statutory duties under sections 5 and 6 of the Act. The local authorities agreed this when they accepted the amount fed into the personal social services calculations for the additional costs of these sections. We are considering ways of monitoring the impact of the 1986 Act, however, and see the exercise that the social services inspectorate is planning as one of the ways of enabling this to be done.