My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

We are today publishing Valuing People Now, the new cross-government strategy for people with learning disabilities along with the delivery plan. In addition, we are laying before Parliament the Government’s further response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) report A Life Like Any Other? Human Rights of Adults with Learning Disabilities, which was published on 6 March 2008.

The new strategy is driven by responses to a very wide-ranging consultation last year on priorities for action to deliver real change for people with learning disabilities. More than 2,000 people responded to the consultation and the strategy addresses what people have told us about the support people with learning disabilities and their families need.

The strategy also sets out the Government’s response to the 10 main recommendations in Healthcare for All, the report of the independent inquiry into access to healthcare for people with learning disabilities, chaired by Sir Jonathan Michael.

The strategy provides a further response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights report A Life Like Any Other? The Government published their response to the conclusions and recommendations in that report on 6 May 2008. In their response the Government committed to providing the Joint Committee with a further response when publishing the final Valuing People Now strategy.

Valuing People Now has been placed in the Library and copies of both publications are available to honourable Members from the Vote Office.