HC Deb 07 November 1989 vol 159 cc553-4W
24. Mr. Hannam

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to increase the participation of disabled people in the planning of their own community care services.

47. Rev. Martin Smyth

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about his plans for ensuring that disabled people are fully consulted when their community care needs are assessed.

48. Miss Emma Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to promote choice for the individual disabled person or carer in the new arrangements for community care services.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

I refer my hon. Friends and the hon. Member to the statement which my right hon. and learned Friend made to the House on 12 July announcing our main proposals for the future organisation of community care. In that statement my right hon. and learned Friend outlined arrangements designed to widen choice to individuals in need of community care and provide more appropriate services closer to their wishes and needs. Our forthcoming White Paper will set out in detail how we intend to achieve these aims.

72. Mr. Alfred Morris

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase and encourage advocacy opportunities for disabled people with regard to community care provision.

85. Mr. Tom Clarke

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to put support for the principle of advocacy into practice in future arrangements for community care services.

Mr. Freeman

I assume that the right hon. and hon. Members have in mind the provisions of sections 1 and 2 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986, which deal with the appointment and rights of authorised representatives of disabled persons in connection with local authority welfare services. We have already implemented six key sections of this Act, but we have always made it clear that further implementation would depend on the availability of the necessary resources. With section 1 there is the additional complication that implementation would require detailed procedures to be set out in regulations. We hope to begin consultations soon with the local authority associations about the costs of implementing these sections, together with section 3, and with those associations and other interested bodies about the appointment procedures which would be set out in regulations under section 1.