Right to Control Regulations

Maria Miller Excerpts

Tuesday 12th October 2010 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Maria Miller)]

On 25 February 2010 the Right to Control trailblazer sites were announced and a national consultation on the Right to Control draft regulations, “Making choice and control a reality for disabled people: consultation on the Right to Control trailblazer regulations”, was published.

We have worked closely with disabled people and their organisations to develop the Right to Control, and continue to do so. Our advisory group, chaired by Baroness Jane Campbell, has co-produced both the policy and the draft regulations.

The consultation period finished on 26 May 2010, with 34 responses received in total from trailblazer sites, disability organisations and individual disabled people. The responses received have helped us ensure that our trailblazers are supported by the most appropriate regulations possible. Today, with the publication of our Government response to coincide with the laying of our draft regulations in Parliament, we are getting closer to achieving our aim of providing disabled people with the choice and control they have told us they want.

We are phasing the introduction of the Right to Control in trailblazer areas to ensure the best possible service will be provided to disabled people. The majority of the sites will start to offer the Right to Control from 13 December, with two of the more complex trailblazers, the Sheffield city council and Barnsley metropolitan borough council joint trailblazer, and the Greater Manchester consortium, commencing on 1 March and 1 April 2011 respectively.

Since the initial announcement of the sites piloting the Right to Control, Redcar and Cleveland borough council has withdrawn from being a trailblazer site. There have recently been significant management changes within the council and they now feel the need to dedicate existing available resources to other priority areas within adult services.

The Government response to the Right to Control regulations consultation “Making choice and control a reality for disabled people: Government response to consultation on the Right to Control trailblazer regulations” can be viewed and downloaded from the Office of Disability Issues website at: www.odi.gov.uk/right-to-control. Copies of the document will also be placed in the House Libraries.