§ Lord Lyellasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have following their recent consultation exercise on local authorities' powers to provide community alarm systems.
Earl FerrersHaving carefully considered the more than 100 responses received to our consultation, we have concluded that local authorities should be empowered to provide community alarms to anyone who is resident in their area, and that they should be able to charge for such services. Community alarms can help the elderly to continue to live in their own homes, disabled people to lead independent lives, and can also be useful in tackling crimes such as repeat burglary, domestic violence or racial harassment. We intend to bring forward legislation at the next convenient opportunity.