§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action he plans to take concerning strategic health authorities which do not use allocation from the Learning Disability Development Fund for learning disability services; [121802]
(2) what guidance he has issued to strategic health authorities concerning the ring fencing of allocation from the Learning Disability Development Fund. [121803]
§ Dr. Ladyman[holding answer 26 June 2003]: The Learning Disability Development Fund (LDDF) is part of a national programme to support the delivery of the Government White Paper, "Valuing People—A New Strategy for the 21st Century". For 2003–04, it consists of £21 million revenue and £20 million capital.
The revenue element was distributed direct to primary care trusts on a pro-rata basis with a letter explaining its purpose. The capital element of the LDDF was allocated to strategic health authorities (SHAs) as part of their strategic capital allocations notified in Annex D of HSC 2003/004. A note was included in the Chief Executive Bulletin confirming that the LDDF capital was included in the strategic capital allocations and drawing attention to an entry on the Department of Health's learning disability website at www.doh.gov.uk/ learningdisabilities about the priorities for its use.
The capital is not ring-fenced. It is for SHAs to decide how best to use the money to support the needs of the people in their area.