Abstract
This chapter provides a synopsis of social service provision in the United Kingdom. It discusses the individualisation of service provision and the rhetoric of consumer choice that is a developing characteristic of many of the main sectors of the welfare model. At the sectoral level, attention is drawn to the different models for social service provision that are, in general, shaped by neo-liberal economic theory. The development of this UK welfare model is framed against its Poor Law antecedents dating from the sixteenth century and the welfare reforms of the mid-twentieth century. Where virtually continuous reform of service provision and procurement is a characteristic of social welfare organisation, devolution has added to its complexity: with degrees of national autonomy, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland now bring a quasi-federal diversity to the welfare model. An overview of universal health service provision, local authority obligations and social housing provides a range of examples from the UK social services. Private law, and private remedy, now exists in what were once public spaces: public law obligations remain, but for social services, as SSGIs or social welfare SGEIs, both public law and private law find challenges in human rights norms. Ongoing modernisation and private sector involvement in social services provision has been accompanied by the appearance of structural and organisational characteristics that, for a growing number of UK social service sectors, would be likely to see them categorised as SGEIs at the EU level.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
Ibid. p. 77, citing Clarke 2004.
- 3.
Initiatives promoted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Recommendation No. R (2000) 5, The Development of Structures for Citizen and Patient Participation in the Decision–making Process Affecting Health Care, Appendix, Guideline 1: ‘The right of citizens and patients to participate in the decision-making process affecting health care… must be viewed as a fundamental and integral part of any democratic society.’
- 4.
Vincent-Jones et al. 2009, p. 248 [emphasis added].
- 5.
Allen 2009, pp. 378–379.
- 6.
Commission, Communication from the Commission, Implementing the Community Lisbon Programme: Social Services of General Interest in the European Union, COM(2006) 177 final, 26 April 2006, p. 5.
- 7.
HM Government, Open Public Services: White Paper, 2011. Available at: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/open-public-services-white-paper.pdf. (last accessed on 25 August 2011).
- 8.
See, for example, CJEU, Joined Cases C-180/98 to C-184/98 Pavlov [2000] ECR I-6451, para 118; CJEU, Case C-218/00 INAIL [2002] ECR I-691, para 37; and CJEU Case C-355/00 Freskot [2003] ECR I-5263.
- 9.
See, Commission, Commission Staff Working Document, Guide to the Application of the European Union Rules on State Aid, Public Procurement and the Internal Market to Services of General Economic Interest, and in Particular to Social Services of General Interest, SEC(2010) 1545 final, 7 December 2010, pp. 16–17.
- 10.
A century and a half before the Acts of Union 1707 established the United Kingdom.
- 11.
1552 Poor Law Act, requiring the official recording of the number of poor in each Parish Register; 1563 Poor Law Act, requiring the categorisation of the poor in order to determine the treatment that they were to receive; 1572 Poor Law Act introducing the first compulsory poor law tax imposed at a local level and making the alleviation of poverty a local responsibility; 1576 Poor Law Act obliging each town to provide work for the unemployed; 1597 Poor Law Act providing for Justices of the Peace to be given authority to raise additional compulsory funds to provide for the poor and introducing the new position of ‘Overseer of the Poor’; and, the 1601 Poor Law Act which formalised the earlier provisions and made new provision for a national system of poor relief to be funded through the levying of property taxes.
- 12.
Ferrera 2005, p. 67.
- 13.
Beveridge 1942, p. 6.
- 14.
Ibid. pp. 6–7.
- 15.
De Búrca 2005, pp. 116–117.
- 16.
Ferrera 2005, pp. 63–64.
- 17.
Zeitlin and Trubek 2003, pp. 101.
- 18.
Allen 2009, pp. 249–250.
- 19.
NHS, The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment, a Plan for Reform, Cm 4818-I, 2000. Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_118522.pdf (last accessed on 15 April 2011).
- 20.
ibid, pp. 3–5.
- 21.
Commission, White Paper, Together for Health: A Strategic Approach for the EU 2008-2013, COM(2007) 630 final, 23 October 2007, p. 4.
- 22.
CJEU Case C-372/04 R (on the application of Watts) v. Bedford Primary Care Trust, Secretary of State for Health [2006] ECR I-4325, and see, McHale 2011, pp. 243–256.
- 23.
Newdick 2011, p. 219, citing CJEU Case C-157/99 Geraets-Smits v. Stichting Ziekenfonds Vgz, Peerbooms v. Stichting Cz Groep Zorgverzekeringen [2001] ECR I-5473.
- 24.
Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2011, on the Application of Patients’ Rights in Cross-Border Healthcare. OJ 2011 L 88; See Szyszczak 2011, pp. 103–131, for a detailed analysis of the issues and tensions surrounding the drafting and background to this Directive.
- 25.
McHale 2011, p. 261.
- 26.
The National Health Service (Reimbursement of the Cost of EEA Treatment) Regulations (England and Wales), SI 2010 No. 915, 2010. What is this?
- 27.
McHale 2011, p. 253.
- 28.
Department of Health, Cross Border Healthcare and Patient Mobility: Revised Advice on Handling Requests from Patients for Treatment in Countries of the European Economic Area—Guidance to the NHS London, Department of Health, 2010, para 7.7(d). Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_115252.pdf. (last accessed on 18 April 2011).
- 29.
Directive 2011/24/EU, Article 8(2)(a)(ii).
- 30.
Harvey and Maybin 2010.
- 31.
Ibid. p. 11.
- 32.
SEC(2010) 1545, p. 17.
- 33.
Directive 2011/24/EU, Articles 4 and 6.
- 34.
Department of Health 2010, para 4.5.
- 35.
Office of Fair Trading, Commissioning and Competition in the Public Sector, 2011, p. 24. Available at: http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/reports/comp_policy/OFT1314.pdf (last accessed on 12 April 2011. For a discussion on the ability of end-users (consumers) to exercise choice, see Davies 2011.
- 36.
HM Government 2011, paras 3.3, 4.5 and 6.8.
- 37.
Law Commission 2008, p. 1.
- 38.
Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 is included by virtue of being an extension of Section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948 as determined in case law. See, High Court QBD, R v. Kirklees MBC ex p Daykin (1997–1998) 1 Community Care Law Reports 512.
- 39.
Parton 2008.
- 40.
Ibid. p. 167, n. 3.
- 41.
Ibid. p. 167.
- 42.
Ibid.
- 43.
HM Government, Every Child Matters: Change for Children, 2004. Available at: http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/e/every%20child%20matters%20change%20for%20children.pdf (last accessed on 18 April 2011).
- 44.
Laming 2003.
- 45.
HM Government 2011, see also this chapter, Sect. 20.5.3.
- 46.
Pawson 2006, p. 769.
- 47.
Ibid. p. 770.
- 48.
Cowan and McDermont 2008, p. 161.
- 49.
Secretaries of State for the Environment and Wales, Housing: the Government’s Proposals, Cm 214, London, HMSO, 1987, para 1.3.
- 50.
Ibid. para 1.4.
- 51.
Cowan and McDermont 2008, pp. 166–168.
- 52.
Ibid. pp. 170 and 172.
- 53.
Ibid, 174.
- 54.
Cave 2007, p. 34.
- 55.
Commission, Commission Staff Working Document: Second Biennial Report on Social Services of General Interest, SEC(2010) 1284 final, 22 October 2010, p. 48.
- 56.
For example, Glasgow Housing Association, Reasoned Opinion IP/09/1458 of 8 October 2009 and City of York Council, Reasoned Opinion IP/09/1000 of 25 June 2009. The case against the City of York was later closed with the Commission stating that ‘Taxpayers can now be sure that the contract will be awarded to the company offering best value for money…’, IP/10/507 of 5 May 2010.
- 57.
SEC(2010) 1284 final, p. 71.
- 58.
Ibid.
- 59.
Ibid. p. 72.
- 60.
BIS, Department for Business Innovation and Skills, Guidance on How the State Aid Rules Impact Upon Funding for the Delivery of Public Services Including Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI), 2009, pp. 2 and 15. Available at: http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file53292.pdf. (last accessed on 23 March 2011).
- 61.
High Court QBD, R. v. Servite Houses ex p. Goldsmith Case Analysis I695DF140E4281(2001) 33 H.L.R. 35 [2001] A.C.D. 4.
- 62.
High Court, Chancery, Aston Cantlow Parochial Church Council v. Wallbank [2004] 1 AC 546.
- 63.
Alder 2007, pp. 63–64.
- 64.
Drakeford 2006, p. 933.
- 65.
Cowan and McDermont 2008, p. 178.
- 66.
House of Lords, YL (by her litigation friend the Official Solicitor) (FC) (Appellant) v. Birmingham City Council and others (Respondents) Case Analysis I854[2008] 1 A.C. 95 [2007] 3 W.L.R. 112 [2007] H.R.L.R. 32 [2007] H.L.R. 44.
- 67.
Ibid. per Lord Scott, paras 26–27.
- 68.
CA Civ, Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association Ltd v. Donoghue [2001] EWCA Civ 595; [2002] Q.B. 48; [2001] 3 W.L.R. 183; [2001] 4 All E.R. 604.
- 69.
See also, High Court, QBD, R (on the application of Heather and others) v. Leonard Cheshire Foundation and another, [2002] 2 All ER 936; [2002] EWCA Civ 366.
- 70.
Palmer 2008, p. 601.
- 71.
Ibid. p. 587.
- 72.
Keating 2001.
- 73.
Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002.
- 74.
Keating 2001.
- 75.
Ibid.
- 76.
Ibid.
- 77.
Enjolras 2009, p. 284.
- 78.
See Ibid.
- 79.
Ibid. p. 274.
- 80.
Ibid. p. 285.
- 81.
- 82.
- 83.
- 84.
See Ramesh 2011.
- 85.
Draft regulations for Personal Independence Payment are available at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/legislation-and-key-documents/welfare-reform-bill-2011/personal-independence-payment-briefing/.
- 86.
DWP, Government’s response to the consultation on Disability Living Allowance reform, 2011, p. 3, Available at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dla-reform-response.pdf (last accessed on 18 May 2011).
- 87.
UK Government Impact Assessment, Housing Benefit: Uprating Local Housing Allowance Rates by CPI from April 2013, p. 2. Available at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/hb-lha-cpi-uprating-wr2011-ia.pdf.
- 88.
UK Government Impact Assessment, Housing Benefit: Size Criteria for People Renting in the Social Rented Sector. Available at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf.
- 89.
Buck 2011.
- 90.
NHS, Future Forum: Summary Report on Proposed Changes to the NHS, 2011, p. 9. Available at: http://webmail.le.ac.uk/CFS%20OWA%20Logon.asp. (last accessed on 13 June 2011).
- 91.
Ibid. p. 28.
- 92.
Ibid. p. 24 [emphasis added].
- 93.
Ibid. p. 25.
- 94.
Ibid. p. 26.
- 95.
Ibid. p. 29.
- 96.
HM Government 2011.
- 97.
Ibid. para 4.8.
- 98.
Clause 68, Localism Bill. Available at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2010-2012/0090/2012090v1.pdf.
- 99.
CBI, Let’s Get on With Public Service Reform, CBI News Briefing, 2011. Available at: http://www.cbi.org.uk/ndbs/press.nsf/0363c1f07c6ca12a8025671c00381cc7/b138dc6bbeea19e4802578ca0052a842?OpenDocument, (last accessed on 14 September 2011).
- 100.
HM Government 2011, para 6.7.
- 101.
Ibid. para 1.23.
- 102.
Ibid. para 5.2.
- 103.
Ibid. para 3.7.
- 104.
Ibid. para 3.15.
- 105.
COM(2006) 177 final, p. 4.
- 106.
SEC(2010) 1545 final, p. 17.
- 107.
Article 1 Protocol 26 TEU/TFEU.
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Davies, J. (2013). Changes and Challenges in UK Social Services: Social Services of General Interest or ‘Welfare’ Services of General Economic Interest?. In: Neergaard, U., Szyszczak, E., van de Gronden, J., Krajewski, M. (eds) Social Services of General Interest in the EU. Legal Issues of Services of General Interest. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague, The Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-6704-876-7_20
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