HC Deb 04 May 1988 vol 132 cc498-501W
Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what he anticipates will be the number of claimants receiving help from the Independent Living Fund(a) in 1988–89 and (b) in a full year; and how these figures have been derived;

(2) whether payments from the Independent Living Fund will be treated as income for the purposes of calculating housing benefit entitlement.

Mr. Scott

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on 3 May.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how much of the £5 million budget for the Independent Living Fund he anticipates will be spent on administration.

Mr. Scott

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) on 29 April at column337.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether payments from the Independent Living Fund are available to claimants who were not receiving disability benefits prior to or on 11 April.

Mr. Scott

Yes.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether community care grants from the social fund will be taken into account when assessing entitlement to a payment from the Independent Living Fund;

(2) whether he expects there to be (a) a maximum and (b) a minimum sum for a claim from the Independent Living Fund;

(3) how entitlement to payments from the Independent Living Fund will be calculated for (a) someone in receipt of income support and (b) someone not on income support.

Mr. Scott

These will be matters for the trustees to determine.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether applicants to the Independent Living Fund will routinely be referred to the social fund.

Mr. Scott

I expect the trustees will wish to inform applicants of their possible entitlement to other forms of help where appropriate. However the social fund cannot make payments for domestic assistance and respite care.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether applications to the Independent Living Fund will be accepted from people who have applied to the social fund and been refused a payment.

Mr. Scott

The eligibility criteria do not preclude payments to such people. It will be for the trustees to determine what weight is to be given to such factors.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he expects payments from the Independent Living Fund to be made from his Department's local offices; and whether payment will be by order book or giro.

Mr. Scott

Payments from the Independent Living Fund will not be made from the Department's local offices. It will be for the trustees to determine the method and frequency of payments.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the Independent Living Fund will be able to make(a) one-off payments and (b) regular weekly payments; and for what period of time he envisages regular payments being made.

Mr. Scott

The Independent Living Fund is primarily intended to help severely disabled people pay for domestic or personal care. The fund's eligibility criteria do not place restrictions on the type of payments that may be made. It will be for the trustees to determine what form of payment is appropriate in each case.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether claimants will still be able to receive payments from the Independent Living Fund if they are(a) being cared for by someone receiving independent living assistance and (b) receiving any assistance from a local authority home help.

Mr. Scott

This will be a matter for the trustees to decide. However the Independent Living Fund's eligibility criteria provide that that part of personal care and domestic assistance provided by a local authority is not normally eligible for help from the fund.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what costs of disability will be covered by payments from the Independent Living Fund; and whether the fund will make payments to cover housing costs, debts or essential household equipment if these are judged necessary to prevent the claimant from entering an institution;

(2) what is the definition of living alone for the purposes of entitlement to payment from the Independent Living Fund.

Mr. Scott

These will be matters for the trustees to determine in the light of the eligibility criteria which were published in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newark (Mr. Alexander) on 31 March at columns659–60.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence claimants to the Independent Living Fund will be required to provide to support their claim; and whether they will be visited to assess that evidence.

Mr. Scott

The precise details will be for the trustees to determine. However it is envisaged that applicants will be visited by a social worker experienced in matters relating to disability to make an assessment of their care needs and offer other advice as appropriate.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services for how long he anticipates the Independent Living Fund will be in existence.

Mr. Scott

I anticipate that the duration of the fund will be in the region of three to five years.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services from where he anticipates the Independent Living Fund will be administered; and where, once it is in operation, claimants will make application.

Mr. Scott

It is proposed that the Independent Living Fund will be administered from offices in Nottingham and that applications will be made by post to a PO box address. These arrangements are subject to ratification by the trustees.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects guidelines to be available for trustees of the Independent Living Fund; and whether they will be published.

Mr. Scott

The rules governing the operation of the Independent Living Fund will be set out in the fund's eligibility criteria and trust deed. The eligibility criteria were published in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newark (Mr. Alexander) on 31 March at columns659–60. The trust deed will be subject to approval by the Charity Commissioners and will be available for public inspection in the usual way.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects the Independent Living Fund to be constituted; when he anticipates regulations covering its operation will be laid; and whether they will be available in draft for consultation or comment.

Mr. Scott

The Independent Living Fund will be constituted shortly. The provisions establishing the fund and the rules governing its operation will be contained in the trust deed, which will be subject to approval by the Charity Commissioners and available for public inspection in the usual way. Regulations will however be laid to ensure that payments from the fund are disregarded in calculating entitlement to income support, family credit, and housing benefit.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what briefing has been issued to local offices to enable them to advise claimants who should apply to the Independent Living Fund for assistance; what publicity his Department intends to give the fund; and what expenditure on that publicity will be.

Mr. Scott

A letter has been written to regional controllers drawing their attention to the purpose of the fund and advising that people enquiring in local offices about the fund should be instructed to write to its temporary address: c/o room 520 New court, Carey street, London, WC2A 2LS.

For details of other action undertaken or proposed to publicise the fund I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) on 29 April, at column 338. The publicity budget has not yet been settled.