HC Deb 12 January 1988 vol 125 cc237-8W
16. Mr. McLeish

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the policy of his Department on the carrying out by police, at the request of local authority social services departments, of checks on owners and managers seeking the registration of residential homes, in the light of the vulnerability of residents of such homes.

Mrs. Currie

We share the hon. Gentleman's concern at possibly unsuitable persons running homes. Arrangements to enable local authorities to obtain information from police about any criminal record of people they propose to employ are being assessed by the Home Office, and we understand consultations are in progress about the possibility of extending the existing arrangements.

Mr. Waller

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when the results of the study of local authorities' costs on registering and inspecting private residential homes will be announced; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Newton

It is important that the local authorities' duties of monitoring and inspecting private and voluntary residential care homes are properly carried out to ensure that these homes have acceptable standards. When the new arrangements for registering and inspecting residential care homes were introduced in 1985, we made it clear that the fees should cover local authorities' costs on this work. A report by the Department's social services inspectorate and the Welsh Office's social work service shows that fees are not doing this.

The report of the study has been issued today with a covering letter to interested bodies inviting views on proposals for increases in the level of fees for 1988–89 and on certain other proposed changes in the regulations. The study found that significant increases would be required to enable local authorities to meet the full cost of an adequate registration and inspection service from fees, as intended. It suggests various options for achieving this.

The Government's preference is for an increase in the initial registration fee from £550 to £1,000 to cover full costs to the authority, including the cost of dealing with the numerous inquiries which do not result in an application for registration and accompanying fee, and an increase in the annual inspection fee from £15 to £26 per place to meet the cost of adequate inspection arrangements. It is also proposed that the registration fee for a change of owner should in all cases be £500 and the registration fee for a manager should increase from £100 to £150. It is intended that any fee increases decided following consultation should be introduced from 1 April 1988.

Consultation is also taking place on other amendments to the regulations including an increase in the minimum number of times a home must be inspected from once to twice every 12 months and that at least one inspection a year is to be without notice. It is proposed to ban corporal punishment for children and young people in these homes, in line with the Government's commitment to prohibit the use of that form of punishment in residential establishments where children and young people are accommodated. In this context we propose also to consult shortly on draft "Children's Homes (Control and Discipline) Regulations."