§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what account he is taking of the United Nations world programme of action in the development of his policies towards people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottThe United Kingdom Government support the overall objectives of the United Nations world programme of action concerning disabled persons and take them into account when developing policies for disabled people.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will introduce legislation to amend section 29(6) of the National Assistance Act 1948 in order to empower local authorities to make grants directly to people with disabilities in order that they may employ personal assistants to supplement the assistance they receive from their home helps; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottThere are no plans to introduce legislation on the lines proposed by the right hon. Member.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the total grants made by his Department in each of the last five years (a) to voluntary organisations for people with disabilities and (b) to voluntary organisations of people with disabilities; what is his policy towards the development of organisations of people with disabilities and enabling them to play an active role in the formulation of disability-related policies and programmes as recommended by the United Nations world programme of action; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottGrants made under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 in each of the last five years(a) to voluntary organisations for people with disabilities are as follows. Disability is understood to cover all aspects of physical, mental and sensory disability or impairment, but figures exclude grants to bodies (for example, those dealing with children and certain medical conditions) which may, incidentally, do some work with disabled people, unless the grant is given specifically for that purpose. The voluntary organisations have been categorised as precisely as possible, but many of these in group (a) have mixed management (both disabled and able-bodied members).
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£ (a) (b) 1982–83 2,841,108 143,050 1983–84 3,069,551 182,100 1984–85 3,681,111 223,000 1985–86 3,652,354 240,100 1986–87 3,930,211 248,000 The Government have always adopted a positive policy towards the development of organisations of people with disabilities and have whenever appropriate involved such organisations in the policy making process. The British Council of Disabled People and the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation were consulted on the Government's reply to the United National questionnaire on the first round of the monitoring of the implementation of the world programme of action concerning disabled persons during the United Nations decade of disabled persons 1983–1992.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek information on the legislation recently passed in Finland authorising payments directly to people with disabilities for the purpose of employing their own personal assistants; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottWe understand that in Finland legislation providing for the reimbursement by local authorities of expenses incurred by disabled people in the employment of personal help has recently been enacted, and that it will come into general effect on 1 January 1988.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the recommendations of the European meeting in Yugoslavia to mark the mid-point of the Decade of Disabled Persons; what action he intends to take to implement them; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottThe recommendations to which the right hon. Member refers arise out of the meeting of the European regional experts held in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia in March to consider progress on the implementation of the world programme of action concerning disabled persons at the mid-point of the United Nations decade of disabled persons. This was one of several regional meetings held under the auspices of the United Nations.
A further United Nations global meeting of experts is planned to be held in Stockholm in August, where the reports of the various regional meetings will be considered to enable the Secretary-General to make a report to the 42nd United Nations General Assembly in the autumn of 1987.
At present the Government have not been asked to respond to the report of the Ljubljana meeting, although we have been provided with a copy of it. We shall of course consider the Secretary-General's report when it is available.
I have arranged for copies of the report of the European regional meeting to be placed in the Library.