§ 21. Mr. Hannamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what arrangements he has made to receive regular information from local authorities on their progress in identifying handicapped people under Section 1 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisI receive annual returns from local authorities which include numbers of disabled people registered. These are supplemented by information from officials of my Department who maintain close contact with authorities on the planning and provision of personal social services. I have now received the report by Professor Malcolm Brown and Mr. Ric Bowl on surveys in pursuance of Section 1 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 carried out by local authorities prior to local government reorganisation. I am grateful to them for the work they have done.
I propose shortly to place copies of this report in the Libraries of both Houses, together with a brief commentary by my Department. I have also received a copy of a report on a survey undertaken of "Outset" in the City of London to identify its handicapped residents. I propose in the near future to discuss these reports and other matters relating to disabled people with the local authority associations.
It is my intention also to discuss the reports with the all-party Disablement Group in the House.