§ Mrs. ShephardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many copies of the report of the Centre for Policy on Aging Standards for Care Homes he has made available to consultees; and if he will make a statement. [97155]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 4 November 1999]: 5,000 copies of the Department's consultation document "Fit for the Future?" were printed. About 1,500 were sent to a wide range of organisations and individuals, representing users, carers, regulators and providers and other interested bodies, for consultation nationally. The others were available for anyone who wished to have a copy. I understand that about 600 copies are still in stock. "Fit for the Future?" is available on the internet to anyone who wishes to see it.
We will carefully consider all the comments we receive before finalising the standards and the timetable for their implementation.