To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the additional costs will be following the implementation of the proposals of the National Health Service and Community Care Bill in Wales; and how much will be attributable to community care.
The estimated additional recurrent costs in Wales of the implementation of the proposals for the national health service which were included in the explanatory and financial memorandum to the National Health Service and Community Care Bill are £10.85 million. The estimated costs for community care in Wales are being considered in the current public expenditure survey.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with local authority representatives from Wales of the financial implications of the new community care policy.
Our officials have had extensive discussions with local authority representatives in Wales under the aegis of the Welsh consultative council on local government finance (WCCLGF) to consider the expenditure implications of the arrangments proposed in the White Paper "Caring for People" (Cm 849). My right hon. Friend will be discussing this matter with the local authority associations at the meeting of the WCCLGF on 4 July.