Welfare Reform Bill

The amendment is modelled on a subsection of the Health Bill that permits direct payments for health services initially on a trial basis. Section 11 of that Bill enables the Secretary of State to make arrangements with third parties, including voluntary organisations, to give assistance to people in connection with direct payments. As a result of lobbying by my noble friend Lady Barker, the provision was strengthened by a government amendment to make it more explicit in the Bill that the NHS should make arrangements to ensure that patients or people receiving direct payments on somebody else’s behalf were able to access advice, information and other support. It seems strange to many of us that the right to control in this Bill makes no such provision. It is widely accepted that many direct payment users rely on support services, whether for initial information, advice, guidance, and training on becoming an employer and managing payroll and insurance, or for ongoing support in managing their money and paying staff. It is hard to imagine people who hitherto have been denied choice and control and are anxious about what direct payments involve taking the huge step to managing their own budget without access to this kind of support. The Government have acknowledged the vital role that user-led organisations providing direct payments support services play in increasing the take-up of direct payments and improving direct payments users’ experiences and outcomes, and they want every locality to benefit from one. In the 2005 Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People report from the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, a pledge was made that: ""By 2010, each locality (defined as that area covered by a Council with social services responsibilities) should have a user-led organisation modelled on existing CILs"—" centres for independent living. While I am on that point, will the Minister take the opportunity to update the Grand Committee on progress towards that 2010 commitment, which would underpin the effective delivery of the right to control? The life chances report is effectively government policy but, despite an ongoing programme by the Department of Health involving development funding and capacity building, no one can say if or when this target might be achieved. Furthermore, which local authority areas have such provision and what proportion of direct payments users have access to them? Therefore, can the Minister assure us that anyone accessing direct payments under these provisions, whether as part of the pilots or subsequently, following national rollout, will have access to a support service at no extra cost? I ask simply because the Bill is silent on this matter. We understand that various aspects of delivering the right to control are currently being consulted on, and it is likely that other forms of advice and support will be required. However, direct payments support services specifically seem to be a fundamental prerequisite of a successful trailblazer programme and of future rollout. Will the Minister say whether part of the £5 million allocated to the eight trailblazers will be invested in ensuring the availability of direct payments support services? Can he also tell us about the progress of the network of sustainable centres for independent living, be they standalone organisations or creative partnerships? Are the social care transformation grants for local authorities being deployed in capacity building of user-led organisations? If the right to control is rolled out nationally from 2013 following successful trailblazers, surely the infrastructure for support services should already be in place by that time. When a similar amendment was debated in the other place, similar questions were asked but no clear response was given. The Minister said that the amendment was "too prescriptive" as people may prefer to draw on the support of family and friends, but this amendment is enabling; it prescribes nothing. Those who have family resources will doubtless draw on them, but what of those who have no such resources? There are many disabled people in that position and they need the assurance provided by this amendment. I beg to move.