§ Viscount Montgomery of Alameinasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have for implementing the recommendations of the 1988 Report, Information Needs of Disabled people, Their Carers and Service Providers, prepared for the Department of Health by Coopers & Lybrand.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Hooper):This report, which has been widely welcomed, highlighted the importance of improving information services for disabled people and those who care for them. It recommended a three-stage strategy:
the development of a national framework for the provison of information services to disabled people;
the creation of local "federations" of information providers, responsive to the needs of the community;
specific initiatives to develop improved common information services within the context of a national framework sensitive to local needs.
In 1990, we commissioned a study by PE International to identify the managerial and resource requirements of implementing such a strategy. Following PEI's conclusions, we now intend to commit £3 million subject to parliamentary approval over three years (1991–1994) for a pilot initiative, known as the National Disability Information Project, with the following objectives:
nationally, to promote closer working between organisations which collect and disseminate information of national relevance, with clear objectives to reduce duplication and improve the relevance and accuracy of information;
locally, to encourage the development of federations of information providers, in order to achieve greater co-ordination at the local level and to widen access to information.
The National Disability Information Project will build on the achievements of a number of local federations already in existence, including those developed as part of the Oxford Regional Health Authority information project, which is supported by the Department of Health.