§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to implement the Registered Establishments (Scotland) Act 1987.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe Act will come into force on 17 October 1988. It empowers local authorities to charge fees for their work on the registration and inspection of voluntary and private residential establishments for the elderly and other client groups subject to prescribed limits. It also provides for the joint registration with the health boards of establishments providing both nursing and residential care and for the making of conditions for regulation subject to right of appeal. Limits on fees which my right hon. and learned Friend proposes to prescribe for the purpose of the Act have been the subject of recent consultation.
I believe the charging of registration fees will be useful in enabling local authorities to further their efforts to secure and maintain the same standards of care as they would be expected to provide in their own establishments.