§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what power local authorities will have over hospital discharges when the penalty system on local authorities for delays in discharging elderly people from hospitals is in place; [55591]
(2) what discussions he and his officials had with the Treasury prior to the Budget regarding the plan to penalise local authorities for delays in discharging elderly people from hospitals; [55589]
(3) what will constitute a delay in discharge of an elderly person from hospital under the proposed penalties on local authorities for delayed discharge; [55592]
(4) what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of the proposed fines for delays in discharging elderly people from hospitals, broken down by category of authority.[55590]
§ Jacqui SmithBefore the Budget, Departments had a wide range of discussions with Treasury. Councils will need to use the resources announced in the Budget to ensure that people are able to leave hospital once their treatment is completed. If they are successful in that they will have the freedom to use these resources to invest in social care services.
We will consult on the details of the scheme in due course.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to set targets for the reduction in delayed discharges of elderly patients from hospitals for each local authority. [55593]
§ Jacqui SmithThe current target is for a continued reduction in the number of delayed discharges from hospitals so that there will be 20 per cent. fewer blocked beds in March 2003 compared to March 2002.