§ Earl Howeasked Her Majesty's Government:
In view of the timescale set down in Clause 15(1) and (2) of the Care Standards Act Commencement and Transitional Order (S.I. 2001/3852) for registration applications to be submitted between 1 January 2002 and 31 March 2002, on what date the required printed paperwork will first be made available to prospective applicants; and [HL2937]
Whether the National Care Standards Commission has made available from 1 January 2002 the required application forms to allow applicants to complete the registration requirements prior to 31 March 2002, as set out in Clause 15 of the Care Standards Act Commencement and Transitional Order (S.I. 2001/3852); and, if not, why not; and [HL2938]
Whether, in view of the delays in making available the application forms for the National Care Standards Commission registration process, they will consider extending the deadline for the registration of applications beyond 31 March 2002 deadline set out in the Care Standards Act Commencement and Transitional Order (S.I. 2001/3852). [HL2939]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe printed registration application packs for those who are required to apply for registration with the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) by 31 March 2002, as set out in the Care Standards Act Commencement and Transitional Order (S.I. 2001/3852), were available from the commission as of Tuesday 19 February 2002. The application pack was also available on the NCSC website from 15 February.
Copies of the application pack are being sent directly to the providers that the commission is aware of and who need to apply. Other providers who have not yet contacted the commission can now obtain the packs by calling the NCSC Helpline (0191 233 3556).
The application pack was not available earlier because it was necessary to ensure that full information about the process of application for different service areas was included.
The Department of Health does not intend to extend the deadline for those who must make applications to the commission by 31 March. Providers will have had over five weeks before the deadline passes to submit their applications.