§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to ensure that local learning disability boards communicate their proceedings to local interested parties; and what plans he has to issue guidance to them on this matter. [103088]
§ Jacqui SmithLearning disability partnership boards were set up as a key part of the arrangements for implementing the White Paper, "Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century" (Cm 5086), published in March 2001. The role and functions of these boards were described in guidance issued in August 2001 (HSC 2001/016; LAC(2001)23).
The role of partnership boards is broadly to create strong local partnerships between providers of services, learning disabled people and family carers. Their aim is to develop local strategies to improve the opportunities for learning disabled people to be included as fully as possible in society and have greater independence and choice in their lives.
We hope that partnership boards will try to raise the profile of learning disability issues in their local areas, and to encourage their members, such as local authorities and primary care trusts, to do the same. This would support strongly the aim of greater inclusion of learning disabled people. We would therefore encourage boards to let local people know about their activities.
It would not be appropriate to issue specific guidance on this matter, which is clearly a matter for local decision. However, the valuing people support team, which has been set up to promote good practice and share practical experience across the country, has given practical advice to boards in its newsletters of July 2002 and February 2003 on making meetings available to the public. We support these messages. The support team website is at http://www.doh.qov.uk/vpst.