| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
The anticipated benefits of reablement-ie, helping individuals to live independently at home for longer, thus delaying the need for formal care and/or admission to residential care-have not been specifically included in the impact assessment, so if benefits do arise this will free up resources which can be spent on offering more people reablement services. Neither the number of individuals who already benefit from reablement, nor the precise scale of the benefits, is known for certain. For this reason, no attempt has been made to quantify the net cost/benefit of reablement services.
1 The RAP data for 2007-08 can be found at: www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/social-care/adult-social-care-information/community-care-statistics-2007-2008:-referrals-assessments-and-packages-of-care-for-adults-england-provisional-council-data.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their basis for the forecast in paragraph 5.10 of their assessment on the Personal Care at Home Bill that volumes of service demands would increase by 1.5 per cent per annum and prices by 2 per cent per annum; and whether they had regard in making those forecasts to the increase in the demand for and cost of free personal home care in Scotland between 2003-04 and 2007-08. [HL414]
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the 933,000 elderly people in 2010 estimated by the Personal Social Sciences Research Unit to be in the highest critical needs category will receive free personal home care under the Personal Care at Home Bill who (a) receive no such free care now, and (b) pay for a proportion of such care now. [HL415]
Baroness Thornton: The assumptions about the annual growth in volumes and unit costs are taken directly from Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU)'s micro-simulation model for older people. The figure of 1.5 per cent per year increase relates to the estimated impact of demographic pressure. It is separate from the estimated impact on demand of the introduction of free personal care. The figure of 2 per cent increase in real terms per year is a PSSRU assumption reflecting expected real rises in average earnings.
In Scotland, the experience of extending free personal care differs in respect of coverage, in that it is provided not just to those in highest need and includes those in residential care. For this reason, it was not considered appropriate or relevant to extrapolate changes in demand for personal care to the English context.
8 Dec 2009 : Column WA116
Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) guidance on eligibility for local authorities, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, establishes four levels of eligibility for services. These are critical, substantial, moderate and low, with critical representing the highest level of social care need.
Table 10 of the PSSRU's technical report of its micro-simulation model for older people1 estimates the number of people aged 65 and over whose needs are assessed as critical according to FACS before informal care considerations. Since the receipt-or not-of informal care forms part of the FACS assessment, it is important to take this into account when estimating the volume of individuals whose needs are likely to be assessed as critical according to FACS criteria, which the PSSRU does in table 12 of its report.
In addition, when estimating the volume of individuals likely to benefit from the proposals in the Personal Care at Home Bill, it is important to exclude those living at home who are not considered to be in highest need-that is, those requiring help with fewer than four activities of daily living-and those in residential care.
As a result-and including estimates of two specific demand effects-the estimated number of older people who will receive free personal care at home under the Personal Care at Home Bill is approximately 55,000 and the number estimated to be making a means-tested contribution towards the cost is 35,000 in 2011-12. These figures, which are shown in greater detail in table 2 of the impact assessment on the Personal Care at Home Bill, should be treated as estimates.
1 Analysing the Costs and Benefits of Social Care Funding Arrangements in England: Technical Report; Forder and Fernandez; PSSRU discussion paper 2644; July 2009.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, under the Personal Care at Home Bill, local authorities will continue to have discretion over (a) setting local service eligibility criteria, and (b) charging for adult social care, so that they can recover costs or reduce services to other users. [HL416]
Baroness Thornton: The Personal Care At Home Bill itself will not directly impact on the Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) guidance on eligibility, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. FACS guidance to local authorities establishes four levels of eligibility for services; these are critical, substantial, moderate and low, with critical representing the highest level of social care need.
A separate consultation on the revision of the existing FACS guidance ended on 6 October. The intention is to bring forward revised guidance in the new year.
The department is consulting separately on the detailed regulations and guidance under the Bill and the proposal that the offer of free personal care should be restricted to people in the FACS critical category who also need significant help with four or more activities of daily living.
8 Dec 2009 : Column WA117
Any alteration to councils' ability to charge for aspects of care would need to be reflected in the department's Fairer Charging guidance, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library.
To ask Her Majesty's Government which items costing more than £10 million a year they plan to cut from the Department of Health budget to pay for their share of the costs of the Personal Care at Home Bill; and in which areas, and what amounts of, departmental research and development will be reduced. [HL417]
Baroness Thornton: Changes to planned expenditure in 2010-11 include nearly £50 million from indicative advertising and communications spending, over £60 million from management consultancy spending and over £20 million in reduced administration costs.
In addition, a saving of £62 million will be achieved by transferring responsibility for research activity from other departmental budgets to the department's ring-fenced research and development budget. That budget will rise to over £1 billion in 2010-11. The research it currently funds will continue as planned.
Prisons: Extremism Unit
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Bach on 12 November (WA 209) and by Lord West of Spithead on 12 November (WA 229-30), how they define "extremism". [HL78]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Extremism in this specific context refers to violent extremism which describes the attitudes, beliefs and actions that condone violence (and in particular) terrorist violence as a means to a political end. It includes views which:
foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence;seek to provoke others to terrorist acts; andfoster hatred intended to cause violence between communities in the UK.This definition can be found on page 33 of the document, Delivering the Prevent Strategy: An Updated Guide for Local Partners, published in August 2009. The document can be found at http://security.homeoffice. gov.uk/news-publications/publication-search/general/updated-guide-for-local-partners.
Railways: Contracts
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government under what conditions train companies can refuse to run trains for a day or weekend without breaching their contracts. [HL518]
8 Dec 2009 : Column WA118
The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): The franchise agreement requires that operators provide services on those days specified in the agreement. Train operators may request that the Secretary of State allow them to operate a revised timetable if they are subject to the impact of external factors which are outside the operators' control. In these circumstances, operators are still under an obligation to demonstrate that they have used reasonable endeavours to operate the advertised timetable.
Roads: Londonderry
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Republic of Ireland concerning the creation of a motorway from the border in Tyrone to Londonderry; and whether any arrangements have been put in place to fund such a project. [HL213]
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: There have been no recent discussions. The funding arrangements in respect of this project are matters for the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government to take forward.
Russia
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Russia about the speed and simplicity of issuing visas to British nationals. [HL286]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead): The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the UK Border Agency held discussions with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January and October of this year on operational visa issues relating to visas for both British and Russian nationals.
Scottish Executive: Staff
Question
Asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations have been received by the head of the Civil Service about the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Executive; what is the nature of those representations; and what action has been taken as a result. [HL219]
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon): The head of the Home Civil Service has an extensive outreach programme of engagement relating to the Civil Service where he meets stakeholders and others to hear first hand about the work being done by civil servants. This includes civil servants working in the Scottish Executive, including the Permanent Secretary. The noble Lord has also made representations.
8 Dec 2009 : Column WA119
Swine Flu
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government when suppliers of the swine flu vaccine will be made available to all children under five years of age in the British overseas territories. [HL442]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead): Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of Health are in contact with the chief medical officers in all the Overseas Territories to help them in their response to the pandemic flu. We are ensuring that they have access to supplies of the vaccines if they want it. Territories are responsible for the healthcare of their citizens and it is for them to decide how much vaccine to purchase and how to distribute it among their population.
Terrorism Act 2006
Questions
Asked by Baroness Neville-Jones
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord West of Spithead on 11 November (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 801) indicating that when the Terrorism Act 2006 was passed they laid down a requirement for police to make records of when they shut down a website but such records they have not fully been kept, why the records have not been kept; and when they will be kept. [HL276]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Records of the removal of potentially unlawful terrorist content by informal contact between the police and internet service providers have not been kept until now due to low awareness of this aspect of the administrative guidance concerning Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006. I understand the police have not yet found it necessary to use the formal powers given under Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006 to close any websites. That decision is, of course, an operational decision for the police to take.
The Home Office is working with the Association of Chief Police Officers (Terrorism and Allied Matters) to update the guidance on the use of Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006. The guidance will be made more accessible with clearly explained procedures and be drawn to the attention of senior officers in all forces. This guidance will be available in January 2010.
Asked by Baroness Neville-Jones
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord West of Spithead on 11 November (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 801) indicating that they are in negotiations about police forces not keeping full records about websites they have closed under the Terrorism Act 2006, what are the negotiations to which he referred; to what those negotiations are likely to lead; and when they plan to have a reliable form of (a) reporting, and (b) collating data relating to the number of websites closed under the Terrorism Act 2006. [HL277]
8 Dec 2009 : Column WA120
Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office is working with the Association of Chief Police Officers (Terrorism and Allied Matters) to update the guidance on the use of Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006, which sets out advice on keeping records when websites are closed using this legislation. The guidance will be made more accessible with clearly explained procedures and be drawn to the attention of senior officers in all forces. This guidance will be available in January 2010.
Asked by Baroness Neville-Jones
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord West of Spithead on 11 November (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 801), what assessment they have made of the effect of the absence of full records of websites closed under the Terrorism Act 2006 on the United Kingdom's counter-terrorism effort, in particular on efforts to tackle the use of the internet as a tool for radicalisation and other forms of terrorist activity such as attack planning. [HL299]
Lord West of Spithead: We do not consider that the absence of full records concerning closure of terrorist sites reflects any lack of activity in this area.
UN: Regional Centre for Preventative Diplomacy
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the short and medium term priorities of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventative Diplomacy in central Asia; what resources it needs to meet those priorities; and whether it has the ability to meet its priorities. [HL343]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead): The Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for central Asia, Ambassador Jenca, outlined the centre's priorities in a meeting with my honourable friend the Minister for Europe on 26 November 2009. These are water and energy management; drug trafficking, terrorism and organised crime; and Afghanistan. We believe that the centre is equipped to take forward work on these issues. The resources allocated to the centre are a matter for the UN 5th Committee.
Zoonoses Regulations
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Holbeach
To ask Her Majesty's Government why the fees under the Zoonoses and Animal By-Products (Fees) (England) Regulations (SI 2009/2043) are increased by 20 per cent; and why the fees under the Local Land Charges (Amendment) Rules (SI 2009/2494) are increased by 100 per cent. [HL333]
8 Dec 2009 : Column WA121
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Davies of Oldham): Details of the increased fees, including comparison with last year's costs, are set out in the table below.
When the fees regulations were drafted it was agreed that the cost of the shared service component of the administration charge should be phased in over a
8 Dec 2009 : Column WA122
Due to a reassessment of the cost of shared services by Animal Health this plan has been modified slightly. The cost was phased in with 75 per cent of the increase from 1 January 2009 and then 100 per cent in the current fees regulations amendment as detailed above.
| Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |