§ Lord Soperasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they propose to take to address the plight of the homeless, who may expect to experience greater hardship as a result of the implementation of community care legislation and the transfer of Department of Social Security payments to local authorities that will ensue.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Baroness Cumberlege)Homeless people have the same rights to community care as any other people. This will not be altered by new community care arrangements. Local authorities will need to recognise the needs of homeless people in their planning, their assessment procedures and in the methods they employ to inform people about the services available. The Government will be encouraging social services and housing authorities to work closely together to ensure that the full range of people's needs are identified. We will also be issuing guidance to local authorities on how to determine in cases of dispute which local social services authority is ultimately responsible for funding social services care for individuals.