§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for a White Paper on guidance and funding for people with learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [84247]
§ Mr. HuttonOur White Paper "Modernising Social Services", published in November 1998, set out our strategy for the development of social services for all client groups including people with learning disabilities. They will also benefit from wider developments such as the proposals in our National Health Service White Paper and Public Health Green Paper, and developments elsewhere in Government. We have recently completed a review of learning disability hospital reprovisioning plans and a survey of 21 local authorities and their matching health authorities. The Department has also recently received comments from academic experts on the draft report of an evaluation of the cost and outcomes of different types of residential provision for people with learning disabilities. We will shortly be considering what, if any, further action needs to be taken in the light of this work and of the advice we receive from the Learning Disability Advisory Group set up last November.