§ 5. Mr. Hall-Davisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps his Department is taking with regard to the adaptation of buildings for disabled people to enable them to live at home.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security (Mr. Alfred Morris)Local and health authorities are very conscious of the need to provide help and support for disabled people in their own homes to the fullest extent possible within the resources available. I shall continue to give them guidance and help whenever appropriate.
The hon. Member may also wish to know of the recent issue of a consultative document on adaptations to disabled people's homes. The document was issued jointly by the Department of the Environment, the Welsh Office and my Department. Moreover, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction has taken the very important step of promoting an increase both in "wheelchair" and "mobility" housing.
§ Mr. Hall-DavisWill the Minister impress on the authorities which disburse grants that the cost of providing residential care for the disabled is now so high that what may appear to be substantial public expenditure is, in fact, fully justified, in the short as well as the long term, if it enables a disabled person to live or be looked after at home?
§ Mr. MorrisThe hon. Gentleman makes an important point. We are deeply aware of the cost of needlessly institutionalising disabled people who want to live in their own homes, among their families, friends and neighbours. There has been a substantial increase in the number of housing adaptations under Section 2(1)(e) of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act. Improvement 672 grants for homes occupied by disabled persons are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction, but I shall be closely in touch with him on that matter.
§ Mr. ParkCan the Minister give any statistics to the House on the extension of the housing adaption schemes for the disabled under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act?
§ Mr. MorrisI have said that there has been a substantial increase in the number of housing adaptations. In 197273, there were just under 29,000 adaptations, while the corresponding provisional figures for 1975–76—the latest year for which figures are becoming available—was 49,000. This represents a rise of nearly 70 per cent., which is indicative of the importance placed by the authorities on this service.