HC Deb 25 April 1989 vol 151 cc502-3W
19. Mr. John Marshall

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he now expects to make a statement on his response to the Griffiths report.

21. Rev. Martin Smyth

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a further statement about the Government's response to Sir Roy Griffiths' report "Agenda for Action".

Mr. Mellor

We remain committed to a policy of promoting the development of community services so that people can return to, or remain in, the community and live as independently as possible, wherever this is best for them. We are currently giving active consideration to the future organisation and management of community care following Sir Roy Griffiths' report and hope to be in a position to bring forward our own proposals in the near future.

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations he has received(a) generally in favour and (b) opposed to the main principles of the Griffiths report; and if he will now make a statement on the Government's intentions with regard to these recommendations.

Mr. Mellor

The representations we have received contain a wide and varied range of views on the Griffiths report. We shall take all reactions into account in framing our own proposals, which we hope to be in a position to bring forward in the near future.

64. Mr. Fearn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to introduce changes in the reorganisation and delivery of community care.

Mr. Mellor

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) on 6 April, at column291.

62. Mr. Bowis

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase support services for carers.

Mr. Mellor

The Department has, for a number of years, grant-aided national voluntary organisations directly concerned with the needs of carers. In 1988–89 these grants totalled nearly £1/4 million. Total grant-aid to the voluntary sector by the Department now exceeds £36 million per annum, a substantial proportion of which is directed at organisations providing services for sick, elderly and disabled people and their carers. I have recently approved a grant of £150,000 for a carers training project and we have provided funding of £19,000 for an information pack about carers' services to accompany a forthcoming BBC local radio series. Under our helping the community to care programme we have made available £10.2 million for projects to support people looking after sick, disabled and elderly people in the community, including £ ½ million to the King's Fund informal caring support unit and £1.8 million to develop services for carers in three demonstration districts in Sandwell, Stockport and East Sussex. We are also funding a programme of research on carers at the university of York and have commissioned some further analysis of the carers data from the 1985 general household survey which, together with data emerging form the OPCS surveys of disability, will inform decisions about the future planning of community care policies.

44. Mr. Tom Clarke

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to meet the organisation MIND to discuss Sir Roy Griffiths' report on community care.

Mr. Mellor

We are currently giving active consideration to the future organisation and management of community care following Sir Roy Griffiths' report. We hope to be in a position to bring forward our proposals in the near future and will consider requests for meetings from the organisations involved at that stage.