It is the responsibility of local social care services to determine and make arrangements for the provision and repair of communication aids and assistive technology.The ““Vision on Adult Social Care, Capable Communities and Active Citizens”” is clear that councils should commission a full range of appropriate preventative and early intervention services such as re-ablement and telecare, working in partnership with the national health service, housing authorities and others.Generally, councils may supply equipment costing up to £1,000 free of charge but in some circumstances may make direct payments to purchase equipment or adaptations themselves.No discussions have taken place between the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), about the funding of communication aids and assistive technology for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Local authorities are responsible for assessing the adult social care needs of local people and making arrangements to ensure that eligible needs are met. They are also responsible for determining spending on adult social care to meet local needs and priorities.Professor Mansell's report ““Raising Our Sights”” included views from the Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities Network, Mencap, families, care staff, service managers and other respondents. The report recommended that the Government consider whether funding the provision and repair of communication aids for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities should be the responsibility of the NHS or of local authority social care services.The question of monitoring and assessment are for local determination. The White Paper ““Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS”” proposes closer worker relationship between the NHS and local authorities. NHS and local authority partners should work closely together to improve integration.There are no plans at present to provide information about communication aids and assistive technology.The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health. These applications are subject to peer review and are judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the scientific quality of the proposals made. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The Health Technology Assessment Programme is "needs led" and so suggestions for research can be submitted to the programme through a number of routes including an electronic web form at:"http://www.hta.ac.uk/webforms/webforms/hta/0.asp"The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme has held several teleconferences with a range of experts in the area of learning disabilities to focus on and identify research priorities including those in the areas of communication aids and assistive technology. Any priorities identified will be fed in to the appropriate NIHR work streams.The HTA programme has advertised for research, in to "supported self-management of diabetes in people with learning disabilities". A full proposal will be considered in September 2011.The Whole System Demonstrator Programme was established to determine the cost and clinical effectiveness of telehealth and telecare. The findings are currently being evaluated and will be independently peer reviewed before publication later this year. The benefits of remote monitoring are that it can lead to more independence, people having fewer admissions to home and support clinical monitoring of larger populations.