§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with representatives from disability organisations on the need to secure future local authority payments to severely disabled people to enable them to make their own personal assistance arrangements.
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§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyI have had several such discussions, most recently at a meeting with the Spinal Injuries Association in March.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if it is still his policy to retain the legal prohibition on local authorities from making payments to severely disabled people to employ their own personal care assistants; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyDuring the passage of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990, the Government gave careful consideration to an amendment to allow local authorities to make payments direct to those in need of services, but decided not to do so because of the difficulties in determining which clients would be eligible for direct payments and in controlling costs. However, our guidance stresses the need for disabled people to be fully involved in decisions about the care which they need and points out that there is no reason why a disabled person who wants to have day-to-day management of his or her carers should not do so.