§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that the respite care needs of disabled people are fulfilled. [22694]
§ Mr. BowisThe improvement in provision of respite care for disabled people has been a key objective of the community care reforms from the outset. Local authorities and health authorities must make provision for all local needs, including those for respite care. In the 1994–95 community care monitoring round, local authorities reported that they had been able to increase the number of respite care admissions above those made in the same period in the previous year. An extra £30 million is available this year, in the special transitional grant, for developing home and respite care.