Mental Illness (Hansard, 22 October 1991)

Mr. John P. Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether it remains Government policy that social service departments will continue to have statutory responsibility to ensure the provision of social care for the mentally ill discharged to the community.

§ Mr. Nicholas Bennett
Yes.

Mr. John P. Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if social service departments in Wales will have overall responsibility for drawing up community social care plans for the mentally ill after consultation with health and other agencies; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Nicholas Bennett
Under the Welsh Office mental illness strategy social service departments are required to work with other statutory and voluntary agencies. and user and carer interests in each county, to produce joint plans to meet the requirements for care and support of people with mental illnesses, including social care.

Mr. John P. Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if it remains the intention of Her Majesty's Government that responsibility for funding the social care costs of the mentally ill in the community assessed to be in need of residential care should be transferred to social service departments.

§ Mr. Nicholas Bennett
Securing social care for people with mental illnesses is already the responsibility of social services authorities. Under the Welsh Office mental illness strategy all agencies are required to work together and deploy available resources to achieve more accessible services. These resources include those provided by social services authorities, as well as those provided by the Welsh Office as direct grants under the strategy. In addition health authorities can transfer resources for social care to social services authorities. From April 1993, further resources will be progressively transferred to the social services authorities from the social security programme as part of our more general "Caring for People" White Paper reforms.