The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.
Mr. Hunter
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will amend regulation 3 of the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996 to allow the spouse of the payee and a person who lives with the payee as his or her spouse to act as paid carer for a disabled person. [105650]
Jacqui Smith
The 1996 regulations state that direct payments cannot be used to employ spouses or certain other close relatives. The Community Care, Services for Carers and Children's Services (Direct Payments) (England) Regulations 2003, which, subject to Parliamentary approval, will come into force on 8 April, have relaxed this rule by permitting the employment of close relatives in exceptional circumstances.
| Figures in £000 | ||||
| Budget | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | Comment |
| Revenue funding | ||||
| National Institute of Mental Health (NIMHE) | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | Bids may be invited from private organisations or development centres of NIMHE |
| Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Development | 200 | 200 | 200 | No national bidding process is expected but bids for specific schemes may be requested |
| Older People National Service Framework Development | 0 | 2,830 | 2,850 | A bidding process for particular projects may take place |
| Teaching Primary Care Trusts | 4,000 | 3,972 | 4,000 | Targeted invitations to PCTs will be issued |
| Child care | 15,000 | 14,895 | 15,000 | Initially allocated to Workforce Development Confederations on the basis of a formula—some of whom may then invite bids locally |
| Equal Opportunities | 250 | 250 | 250 | Bidding for staff support networks |
| Community Services for people with severe personality disorder (DSPD) | 0 | 2,000 | 0 | Bidding process to be open to specific PCTs and the independent sector |
| DSPD service development | 0 | 3,900 | 6,800 | Bidding process to be open to specific PCTs and the independent sector |
| Long term low secure accommodation | 0 | 2,790 | 5,000 | Bidding process to be open to specific PCTs and the independent sector |
| Minimise experience of out of area treatment | 0 | 900 | 0 | Bidding process limited to regional centres of the NIMHE |
| Reduce suicide in relation to prevention strategy | 0 | 4,400 | 4,400 | Bidding process limited to regional centres of the NIMHE |
| Support the re-engineering of services—waiting times | 0 | 2,029 | 2,700 | Bidding process limited to regional centres of the NIMHE |
| Sexual health (including chlamydia screening) | 17,500 | 12,395 | 12,500 | DoH policy leads will be inviting expressions of interest from PCTs |
| Rare conditions—pathology | 0 | 300 | 600 | Bidding for development of three histopathology training schools |
| Sub-total (revenue) | 38,950 | 52,861 | 56,300 | |
| Capital funding | ||||