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Adults with Learning Disabilities

We are today laying before Parliament the Government's response (Cm 7378) 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. The JCHR's report recognises that life for people with learning disabilities has improved considerably over the last 30 years. However, the Committee still found serious cause for concern about the way people with learning disabilities are treated by society at large. The Government response welcomes the JCHR's report and sets out the Government's commitment and practical steps that we are taking to uphold the rights of adults with learning disabilities in mainstream public services. Several of the Committee's recommendations are around influencing the outcome of the consultation response on ““Valuing People Now””, the Government's consultation on learning disability policy. This response commits the Government to revisiting the JCHR report and providing a further response to the Committee when publishing the final ““Valuing People Now”” strategy. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Stirling (Mrs. McGuire), is making a written statement today on the Government's response to the Committee's recommendation about ratification of the UN convention which is contained in this publication. Today's publication is in the Library and copies are available to hon. Members from the Vote Office.