To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether his review of disability benefits is examining methods within the state system to provide payments to disabled people to enable them to employ their own care attendants.

Existing benefits—notably attendance allowance and the disability premiums—make some provision to enable disabled people to pay for care. We are reviewing those benefits, but in the context of the Government's aim in the White Paper "Caring for people" (Cmd 849) to establish the right framework for the delivery of good quality local services for community care.