§ 1. Mr. Dormandasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of health education officers employed by local authorities; and what is the number of local authorities employing them as a percentage of those local authorities empowered to appoint such officers.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security (Mr. Michael Alison)About 200 full-time health education officers are employed by 60 per cent. of the local health authorities in England and Wales. The numbers of staff engaged part-time on health education are not available centrally.
§ Mr. DormandWould not the hon. Gentleman agree that there has been insufficient improvement in those figures in recent years? Ought not the Government to be pressing local authorities until they have all appointed such officers? Has not the time arrived for a massive and continuing campaign by the Government and local authorities to show people that positive preventive health care is better than cure? Would not the Minister further agree that such a policy would in the long run save money quite apart from bringing much benefit to many thousands of people?
§ Mr. AlisonWe share the hon. Gentleman's enthusiasm for the preventive potential of health education. The increase in the number of local authorities employing these officers has not been quite as poor as the hon. Gentleman suggests. For instance, in 1966 there were only 67 whereas in the current year there are 108. This is a substantial increase. In the past year there was an 203 increase of 10. Many other members of the health team in local authorities undertake part-time health education.
§ Mr. AshleyIf the Minister is prepared to disclose information on this aspect of the social services, why is he refusing to disclose information on the wider aspect of the implementation of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act by local authorities, particularly in view of the recent report which shows a disgraceful failure by many local authorities to implement that Act?
§ Mr. AlisonThat is another question. The hon. Gentleman knows that we are awaiting returns on some aspects of the implementation of that Act.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisFurther to the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley), may I ask whether the Minister is aware that this is a deeply important matter? Has he seen the disquieting report by the National Fund for Research into Crippling Diseases? Is it not utterly disgraceful that there are five counties with a population of 8 million which spend less on holidays for the disabled than one London borough? Is he further aware that the report shows that some local authorities provide 25 times as many telephones for the housebound disabled per 100,000 of the population as some other authorities? Is it not time we had full information about what local authorities are providing in the social services field?
§ Mr. AlisonIt may be easier to improve uniformity of standards when the health services are centrally administered by the reorganised National Health Service.