§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the cost of implementation of sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 in Scotland; what would be the total annual cost to(a) central Government, (b) local authorities and (c) other bodies of full implementation, what would be the total cost expressed in (i) annual and (ii) weekly terms for each (1) council tax payer and (2) taxpayer—including and excluding indirect taxation—when he plans to fully implement the Act; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. StewartInformation on the estimated cost of implementation of sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 in Scotland is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
There are no plans at present to implement sections 1, 2 and 3 of this Act. Most of the major provisions of the Act have been implemented bringing substantial benefits to disabled people and their carers. The requirements of the sections of the Act which have not been implemented are now, to a very large extent, reflected in the new and wide-ranging community care arrangements which demonstrates our commitment to high quality care responsive to the needs and wishes of service users and their carers. We intend to review the situation once we have some years' experience of the community care arrangements.