§ 12. Mr. Roderickasked the Secretary of State for Wales how much each local authority in Wales has allocated in its financial estimates for the implementation of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act.
§ Mr. Gibson-WattThe information is not available.
§ Mr. RoderickIs the Minister of State aware that many local authorities have not made any allowance at all for expenditure to implement the Act? Is he not disturbed by that fact? Will he tell us what action he proposes to take to encourage these local authorities so that we may have the Act implemented, or does he believe, like his right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, that every hon. Member should look after his own constituency?
§ Mr. Gibson-WattI understand that in the hon. Member's constituency both Breconshire County Council and Radnorshire County Council are providing services under Section 2 of the Act, and are planning to develop them further.
§ Mr. Fred EvansIs not the hon. Gentleman aware that the dilatoriness of his Government has led large numbers of people throughout the country and, in particular, in Wales to feel that the disabled are being deliberately deprived of the benefits they could receive if the Bill were fully implemented, and that many people in Wales are categorising the Government's action as being on a par with that in the shabby Bill which withdraws school milk from children?
§ Mr. Gibson-WattThe hon. Gentleman is wrong. The present Government fully accept the need to improve the services available to the chronically sick and disabled and, as is shown in the White Paper on public expenditure, Cmnd. 4578, have made additional resources available for the next four years for the development of these and other health and personal social services, and the recent rate support grant Orders allowed for appreciable development of these services over the next two years.