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Local Government Finance (North Yorkshire)
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for what reasons the social services standard spending assessment for North Yorkshire has increased by 0.5 per cent. in the next financial year; and if he will make a statement. [64584]
Ms Armstrong: Calculations underlying the 1999-2000 social services standard spending assessment (SSA) for North Yorkshire are set out in the draft Local Government Finance Report (England) for 1999-2000. The 0.5 per cent. increase in the social services SSA reflects a 5.8 per cent. increase due to control totals, a 5.2 per cent. decrease due to changes in the method of calculation and a 0.1 per cent. decrease due to incorporating the latest data in the indicators used to calculate the SSA.
Changes to the method of calculation for 1999-2000 have been made, following research and discussion with local government, where we are satisfied that they are justified and lead to a fairer system overall. The main changes affecting North Yorkshire are the new method of calculating the SSA for children's social services and the exclusion of residents of institutions from the elderly residential formula. I will shortly be meeting a delegation from North Yorkshire County Council to discuss the proposed settlement.
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Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what factors were considered in calculating the estimate of locally generated income from charges within the social services elderly domiciliary care standard spending assessment. [64577]
Ms Armstrong:
Local authorities have complete discretion on whether to charge for non-residential social services provided for the elderly. They are also free to set the amount of any charge. The change was made because it is not fair to assume that each local authority can raise the same amount in charges irrespective of the ability of those receiving services to contribute towards their cost. This is supported by statistical evidence which shows that, the higher the proportion of pensioners receiving Income Support in an authority, the smaller the contribution that charges make to the cost of providing such services. In examining possible statistical evidence, the following indicators were also considered: pensioners living alone, pensioners in rented accommodation, elderly with a limiting long term illness and the needs index which was used in the Other Social Services standard spending assessment formula before 1998-99.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the reasons are for no longer including those in residential care, nursing homes and long-stay hospitals when counting the number of people aged 65 years or more for the purposes of calculating the social services elderly residential care standard spending assessment; what assessment he has made of the consequences of this change for local
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authorities with large numbers of elderly people in residential care, nursing homes and long-stay hospitals; and if he will phase the change in over three years. [64579]
Ms Armstrong:
The formula was changed in response to three concerns. First, the previous formula penalised local authorities which placed people in accommodation beyond their boundaries. Such placements counted towards the standard spending assessment for the receiving authority rather than the placing authority. Secondly, the previous formula included people who are funding their own care and are no financial burden on the local authority. Thirdly, the change to the method of calculation makes the formula more consistent with the research on which it was based. That research examined the characteristics of people in private households who were on the point of admission to residential care.
We propose to make this change to standard spending assessments in 1999-2000. SSA Reduction grants will be provided to authorities whose total SSA is reduced substantially through changes in the method of calculation.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the councils for which the prediction under the standard spending assessment formula for the number of elderly people needing residential and nursing care in 1999-2000 is smaller than the prediction for 1998-99, indicating the difference in each case; and what steps he plans to take as a result. [64580]
Ms Armstrong:
Standard Spending Assessments (SSAs) are measures of relative need rather than absolute need. The elderly residential services SSA involves estimating each authority's share of the national total of people requiring residential or nursing care. The change in the method of calculating SSAs and in the data used have led to changes in each authorities' share of the national total of potential elderly supported residents. A table showing these figures has been placed in the House Library.
SSA Reduction grants are provided to authorities whose total SSA is reduced substantially as a result of changes to the method of calculation.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of the impact on social services of meeting the cost of funding those persons who have taken up places in a private capacity in a residential or nursing home but whose capital subsequently falls below £16,000; [64582]
Mr. Hutton:
I have been asked to reply.
No such assessment has been made. Local authorities have the lead in arranging and funding social care and it is for them to determine the need for services in their area. They have a responsibility to obtain high quality of care for their clients and value for money,
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taking into account local priorities and other sources of support available to individuals. The Community Care (Residential Accommodation) Act 1998 was enacted on 11 August and guidance was issued to local authorities concerning residents whose capital falls below £16,000. We are not aware of any major problems in this area.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the revised 1998-99 standard spending assessment base is for each local authority with responsibility for social services, taking into account the absorption of the special transitional grant for social services and the early years grant for education; what his policy is on publishing revised bases; and if he will recalculate for each such authority the published growth in standard spending assessment on the basis of the formula for carrying forward the special transitional grant for 1998-99 and previous years. [64574]
Ms Armstrong:
When calculating growth in standard spending assessments for each authority, our policy has been to make adjustments to the base year where there are significant changes in responsibility and where funding amounts for changes in responsibility for each authority are available. To adjust in the manner requested for calculating growth between 1998/99 and 1999/2000, however, is not appropriate in the light of the Comprehensive Spending Review which started from a zero base, looking at expenditure needs afresh. The only fair comparison for social services is to look at total resources provided which, in aggregate, show a 6.1 per cent. cash increase or a 3.5 per cent. real terms increase between 1998/99 and 1999/2000. The increased resources we are making available will meet the costs of looking after existing and new community care clients, and enable local authorities to deliver real improvements in services.
There has been no absorption of the Early Years Grant for Education into SSAs for 1999/2000. The same amount of Early Years Grant is available in 1999/2000 as in 1998/99.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will define the criteria under which local authorities will be capped for excessive spending. [65285]
We have abolished crude and universal capping. My right hon. Friend will decide, after councils have set their budgets, whether capping is necessary in 1999/2000 and the principles for designation he will adopt if it is necessary.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many youth work posts were funded by local authorities in (a) 1998, (b) 1993 and (c) 1990. [64513]
Mr. Raynsford:
This information is not centrally available.
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Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to designate additional locations as special areas of conservation; and if he will make a statement. [64718]
Mr. Meale:
Apart from 10 sites which have already consulted upon but not yet submitted, the UK list of candidate SACs is now complete. We are confident that
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our list is scientifically robust and in accordance with the requirements of the Habitats Directive.
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the locations that he has designated as special areas of conservation since 1 May 1997. [64717]
Mr. Meale:
A full list of all 333 areas which have been submitted to the European Commission as candidate Special Areas of Conservation by the United Kingdom is as follows:
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(2) what research he has undertaken into the predicted increase in demand for residential and nursing care for elderly people in (a) urban, (b) rural and (c) seaside areas in the next year. [64581]
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Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what criteria he used to select locations to be designated as special areas of conservation. [64716]
Mr. Meale:
The criteria for the selection of Special Areas of Conservation are set out in Annexe III of the Habitats Directive. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee publication 'The Habitats Directive: Selection of Special Areas of Conservation in the UK' published last October sets out the way in which these criteria were applied in the UK. Copies of that document were placed in the Library of the House at that time.
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