§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the ranges of boarding-out allowances paid by local authorities to foster parents by age of child fostered to the latest date at which figures are available.
§ Mr. MoyleLocal authorities determine their own scales of boarding-out allowances in the light of local and individual circumstances, and scales may vary between one local authority and another, but information about the ranges of boarding-out allowances paid by local authorities to foster parents is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress has been made towards publishing a national minimum scale of boarding-out rates for foster children.
§ Mr. MoyleAs my hon. Friend knows, my Department has no power to impose minimum rates of boarding-out allowances on local authtorities. However, representatives of local authorities agreed in discussions we had with them last year to consider whether simple and flexible guidelines could be recommended to their Members, possibly on a regional basis, as soon as resources allowed. The prospects for developing such guidelines were again raised in discussion with local authorities' 763W representatives last month, and we hope shortly to arrange a further meeting on the subject, but we have to recognise that the scope for action of the kind envisaged will be determined by the resource situation.