§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimates his Department has made of the total cost to social services departments of the recent decision by the Competition Commission Appeal Tribunal on social services department funding of care home placements; [74789]
(2) what advice he will issue to social services departments in England on abiding by the recent Competition Commission Appeal Tribunal decision on social services department funding of care home placements; and if he will make a statement. [74790]
§ Jacqui SmithThe judgement by the competition commission appeal tribunal, in the case of Bettercare versus the Director General of Fair Trading, found that purchasing by a public body, in certain circumstances, is an economic activity carried out by an undertaking and therefore may be subject to the provisions of the Competition Act 1998. The judgement reflected a particular set of circumstances and is not of general application. In broad terms, the Competition Act is concerned with anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominant market positions. We would not expect councils to be acting in ways that are inconsistent with the Competition Act. The Government's White PaperModernising Social Services made clear that councils should apply best value principles when securing social care services, whether those services are directly provided or purchased from a private or voluntary sector organisation.
§ Mr. DjanoglyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential care home places for elderly people were closed in the Huntingdon constituency during the last 12 months. [74221]
§ Jacqui SmithThe information is not centrally available.