§ Mr. BrazierTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on future arrangements for independent living for the most severely disabled people.
§ Mr. Scott[pursuant to his reply, 24 November 1992, cols. 597–98]: A total of £4 million—on a United Kingdom basis—will be made available in 1993–94 to enable the new fund to provide cash payments to new applications from the most severely disabled people of working age. In 1994–95 the allocation will be £11 million and in 1995–96 it will be £17 million. It is expected that new awards will be made to around 1,500 severely disabled people each year.
This allocation is in addition to the sums earmarked for the fund to continue cash payments to around 22,000 cases which the ILF is expected to be paying by April 1993. These amounts—again on a United Kingdom basis—are £117 million in 1993–94. £119 million in 1994–95 and £121 million in 1995–96.
The allocation for new cases recognises the primary role of local authorities under the community care arrangements from April 1993. On 26 November the Secretary of State for Health announced increases to the community care special transitional grant—the means by which local authorities will initially be funded for their new community care responsibilities—in England of £26 million in 1993–94, £64 million in 1994–95 and £100 million in 1995–96. These increases reflect the further responsibilities for disabled people resulting from the planned changes to the ILF. Announcements will be made shortly about the specific allocations in the rest of the United Kingdom.