§ Mr. HannamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the local authority associations which have responded to his letter inviting costings estimates on sections 1 to 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986; and if he will list those which gave detailed costings;
(2) what procedures have local authority associations identified as incurring costs under sections 1 and 2 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986; and if he will list the estimated cost of each procedure;
(3) what procedures have local authority associations identified as incurring costs under section 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986; and if he will list the estimated cost of each procedure.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether advocates appointed under sections 1 and 2 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 will receive payment for their service;
364W(2) if he will make it his policy that a doctor's certificate which states that an individual is unable to appoint his own authorised representative under sections 1 and 2 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 will be issued free of charge.
§ Mr. DorrellThe Association of Metropolitan Authorities and the Association of County Councils have both responded in detail to our invitation to submit cost estimates for these sections. The associations have provisionally identified a number of areas as incurring extra costs, to an estimated annual total in England in excess of £20 million. This estimate includes some provision for payment from local authority funds to authorised representatives and to doctors providing medical opinions in some circumstances. It does not include any provision for increase in services in response to the extra demand which these sections would generate. Our discussions with the local authority associations are continuing.
§ Mr. HannamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his visit to Cleveland social services department to view the pilot implementation of sections 1 to 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.
§ Mr. DorrellMy hon. Friend the Minister for Health met representatives of Cleveland social services department on 3 October to discuss the pilot exercise. The meeting was a useful source of information on the potential practical implications which implementation of these sections would involve, and on the extent of the overlap which could arise between these provisions and those to be introduced as a result of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990. We are giving further consideration to these aspects in the context of our on-going discussions with the local authority associations.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking in the light of the recommendations in the sixth and 11th reports of the Social Services Select Committee to implement sections 1 to 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 as soon as possible.
§ Mr. DorrellThe Government will reply to the Select Committee's recommendations as soon as possible.