§ 12. Mr. O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when he next expects to meet the Association of Directors of Social Services to discuss community care.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyI hold regular formal and informal meetings with the ADSS, but there is no fixed date for the next meeting.
§ Mr. O'BrienWhen the Minister meets the directors of social services will she agree to provide the additional necessary funds, as promised in the report of Sir Roy Griffiths, to maintain services to the elderly, the mentally ill and other people in need? Will she consider funding the additional social workers that will be necessary to meet the demand for social work? Will she also consider the suggestion of creating a Minister of Community Care?
§ Mrs. BottomleyIndeed, but when I meet the ADSS, which is frequently, as I made clear, I shall speak again about the vast sums already spent on community care—about £3.5 billion—as well as about the importance of new policies and ensuring that those resources are spent effectively and well in the interests of the individuals concerned. We have made it clear that adequate resources will be available and we are working openly and in close consultation with the ADSS on that popular policy.