HC Deb 13 January 1999 vol 323 cc213-4W
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will provide a breakdown of the changes to the criteria for calculating the Social Services SSA block in the local government settlements for 1999–2000. [65035]

Ms Armstrong

The changes proposed to the method of calculating standard spending assessments for 1999–2000 are:

  1. (i) Changing the formula for children's social services on the basis of research carried out by the University of York, and including an allowance for the higher costs of foster care in some areas;
  2. (ii) Changing the formula for elderly residential social services to: include claimants of disability living allowance; update gross costs and income from charges to allow for the effects of 214 community care; and change the measure of elderly population to exclude people living in institutions rather than in private households; and
  3. (iii) Changing the formula for elderly domiciliary social services to include an allowance for sparsity of population to distribute 0.5 per cent. of the total of this element of the SSA; and to adjust the cost allowance of each elderly domiciliary client to take account of each authority's potential to raise income from charges.