§ Mr. Rhodesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many postal votes were cast in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at the General Elections of 1964 and 1959.
§ Sir F. SoskiceThe number of postal votes included in the count in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was 650,101 in 1964 and 551,836 in 1959. Following is a more detailed summary:—
number of children received into care each year each category represents.
§ Miss BaconThe available information about illegitimate children received into care is as follows. Information about the second category referred to in the Question is not centrally recorded.
(1) Year ending 31st March (2) Total received into care (3) Child illegitimate; mother unable to provide a home (included in (2)) (4) (3) as percentage of (2) 1963 48,479 2,119 4.4 1962 47,471 1,804 3.8 1961 45,203 1,717 3.8 1960 42,048 1,458 3.4 1959 40,319 1,318 3.3
§ Dr. David Kerrasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children received into care by local authorities for each of the five latest available years were subsequently adopted; and what percentage of each year's total this represents.
121W
§ Miss BaconThe annual returns for the adoption of children in the care of local authorities do not show the year in which the children were received into care. The following table relates the number adopted in each year to the total who went out of care.
(1) (2) (3) (4) Year ending 31st March Total going out of care Number in care who were adopted (included in (2)) (3) as percentage of (2) 1963 … 47,319 1,643 3.5 1962 … 46,019 1,502 3.3 1961 … 44,754 1,514 3.4 1960 … 41,900 1,278 3.0 1959 … 40,806 1,195 2.9
§ Dr. David Kerrasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities, in each of the five latest available years, assumed the powers of adoption agencies; how many children they received into care in each year solely for the purpose of making adoption arrangements; and what percentage of the total numbers received into care each year this represented.
§ Miss BaconIn the years ending on 31st March, 1962 and 1963, the numbers of local authorities which placed children for adoption under arrangements to which the Adoption Agencies Regulations, 1959, applied were 89 and 97 respectively. I regret that neither the corresponding figures for previous years nor the figures asked for in the second and third parts of the Question are available.