Future care and support arrangements for Independent Living Fund recipients in Wales, 13  March 2015.

Professor Mark Drakeford AM, Minister for Health and Social Services:

Having carefully considered the responses and views expressed I have decided, at this point, to implement Option Four a grant scheme, administered by local authorities to pay existing ILF recipients their current level of funding.

This approach reflects both the need for speed in putting in place arrangements by 30 June of this year and the short term nature of the current funding offer.

The grant scheme will run from July 2015 until the end of March 2017. Funding of £20.4m has already been confirmed for the period July 2015 to end of March 2016. This is based on the number of people receiving ILF when the current scheme closes on 30 June.

Funding beyond this date is subject to the next Spending Round. If, at that point, funding based on actual number of recipients is confirmed as part of the long term budget of the Welsh Government then I will reconsider the steps needed to develop a Welsh successor body to the current ILF as a longer term solution