The All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability (APPGLD)…

desccribes itself as a group of MPs and peers from all political parties who are interested in issues that affect people with a learning disability and their families. They hold meetings in Parliament, to which they invite guest speakers to help them in their discussions.

Following the May election, the former chairman, Tom Clarke, became ‘unavailable’, and the group seemed to become ‘dormant’. For six months, no news appeared on its website (which is hosted by Mencap) .

Chris Heaton-Harris MP Rix

However, there is now sign of activity. The website has been upodated, to inform us that the group is now co-chaired by the Chris Heaton-Harris MP and Lord Rix, Mencap’s President , and to  that two meetings took place in November 2015 …


From  the APPGLD website:

Date:  Wednesday 18th November, 11-12.00pm

To discuss:  Transforming Care: ‘building the right support in the community and closing inpatient units’

Location: Committee Room 5 (Houses of Parliament)

Speakers:

Rt Hon Alistair Burt, Minister for Community and Social Care
Jane Cummins, NHS England Chief Nursing Officer
Viv Cooper CEO, Challenging Behaviour foundation
David Jack, Family member

The meeting will focus  hear about the next steps following the Government’s Green paper consultation, ‘No voice unheard, no right ignored’, which looked at changes needed to policy and legislation to help ensure people with a learning disability get the support they need in their local community.

We will also hear about the recently published report ‘Building the Right Support’ which sets out a national implementation plan to develop community services and close inpatient facilities.

 

Previous meetings

Date: Thursday 5 November, 1-2pm

Mencap provides the Secretariat to the APPGLD
The Clerk to the APPGLD is Rob Holland: rob.holland@mencap.org.uk

The sponsoring members of the APPGLD are:

Co-chairs: Rt. Hon. Tom Clarke MP and Lord Rix
Vice chairs: Mike Hancock MP and Grahame M. Morris MP
Teasurer: Baroness Wilkins
Secretary: Viscount Tenby

Qualifying members:

David Amess MP
Eleanor Laing MP
Lord Swinfen MP
Baroness Stedman-Scott
Bob Blackman MP
Sir Peter Bottomley MP
Roger Gale MP
Priti Patel MP
Robert Buckland MP
Graham Brady MP
David Anderson MP
John McDonnell MP
Robert Flello MP
Paul Blomfield MP
Jon Cruddas MP
Pat Glass MP
Kerry McCarthy MP
Rt. Hon. Anne McGuire MP
Paul Flynn MP
Clive Betts MP
Fiona O’Donnell MP
Tom Greatrex MP

To discuss: The Welfare Reform and Work Bill

Location: Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Speakers:

Chris Heaton-Harris MP, chair
Justin Tomlinson, Minister for Disabled People
Victoria Holloway and Phil Reynolds, co-chairs of Disability Rights Consortium

This is a combined meeting of the APPG on learning disability chaired by Chris Heaton-Harris MP and the APPG on Disability chaired by Dr Lisa Cameron MP.

Royal Mencap Society provides the secretariat for the APPG on Learning Disability while Disability Rights UK provide the secretariat for the APPG on Disability.

The meeting will focus on the Welfare Reform and Work Bill which has recently finished scrutiny in the Commons and entered the Lords.


 

So two significant metings in the space of two weeks.

A representative from Rescare used to attend such meetings as an invited observer, and would report back to us on proceedings, but he is no longer available to do so.

After some delay, minutes of the meeting on the 5th November have been published as a Word document. Follow the link from the APPGLD website entitled ‘Download our meeting notes‘ . Minutes of the meeting on 18th November will presumably appear in due course…