§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will amend regulation 3 of the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996 to allow the spouse of the payee and a person who lives with the payee as his or her spouse to act as paid carer for a disabled person. [105650]
§ Jacqui SmithThe 1996 regulations state that direct payments cannot be used to employ spouses or certain other close relatives. The Community Care, Services for Carers and Children's Services (Direct Payments) (England) Regulations 2003, which, subject to Parliamentary approval, will come into force on 8 April, have relaxed this rule by permitting the employment of close relatives in exceptional circumstances.
Figures in £000 Budget 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 Comment Revenue funding National Institute of Mental Health (NIMHE) 2,000 2,000 2,000 Bids may be invited from private organisations or development centres of NIMHE Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Development 200 200 200 No national bidding process is expected but bids for specific schemes may be requested Older People National Service Framework Development 0 2,830 2,850 A bidding process for particular projects may take place Teaching Primary Care Trusts 4,000 3,972 4,000 Targeted invitations to PCTs will be issued Child care 15,000 14,895 15,000 Initially allocated to Workforce Development Confederations on the basis of a formula—some of whom may then invite bids locally Equal Opportunities 250 250 250 Bidding for staff support networks Community Services for people with severe personality disorder (DSPD) 0 2,000 0 Bidding process to be open to specific PCTs and the independent sector DSPD service development 0 3,900 6,800 Bidding process to be open to specific PCTs and the independent sector Long term low secure accommodation 0 2,790 5,000 Bidding process to be open to specific PCTs and the independent sector Minimise experience of out of area treatment 0 900 0 Bidding process limited to regional centres of the NIMHE Reduce suicide in relation to prevention strategy 0 4,400 4,400 Bidding process limited to regional centres of the NIMHE Support the re-engineering of services—waiting times 0 2,029 2,700 Bidding process limited to regional centres of the NIMHE Sexual health (including chlamydia screening) 17,500 12,395 12,500 DoH policy leads will be inviting expressions of interest from PCTs Rare conditions—pathology 0 300 600 Bidding for development of three histopathology training schools Sub-total (revenue) 38,950 52,861 56,300 Capital funding