Vol. 476 No. 5
72 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Finance if he intends to use the impending Finance Bill as an opportunity to create and finance the Independent Living Fund, as proposed by the Centre for Independent Living to an oral hearing of the Select Committee on Finance and General Affairs in October 1996. [7714/97]
I do not intend providing for the creation of an independent living fund in the forthcoming Finance Bill which will be published shortly. The establishment of such a fund is proposed in the context of providing funding for a personal assistance service (PAS) to people with disabilities to live independently in the community. Following publication of the report of the Review Group on Health and Personal Social Services for People with Physical and Sensory Disabilities, an interdepartmental task force is examining its recommendations, including a PAS, in conjunction with the health recommendations of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities. The results of the task force's examination are expected to be available by the middle of the year. They will be given careful consideration by my colleague, the Minister for Health, who has responsibility for services for people with a disability. He has, in the meantime, provided an additional £200,000 this year for the existing PAS to enable more people to benefit from it.
