§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the new funding structure for community care will allow disabled people to receive payments to enable them to buy in personal care, in the same manner as many can now do through the independent living fund, or whether all of the proposed single budget to cover the costs of care, whether in a person's own home or in residential or nursing home, will be payable to local authorities.
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§ Mr. MellorLocal authorities will be responsible for managing the unified budget for social care which we propose to introduce in 1991, and from it will be expected to make available services for people whom they have assessed as being in need of social care. We have no plans to enable local authorities to pay new cash benefits. Whether, as Sir Roy Griffiths proposed, they should be authorised to experiment within their budget with schemes facilitating the purchase of services by individuals has yet to be decided.