§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children were taken into care in Essex in 1973, 1974, 1975 and to the latest date in 1976; and how this compares with the rest of the United Kingdom.
§ Dr. OwenAdmissions to care in Essex during the year ending 31st March were as follows:
The figures exclude children admitted to care solely on remand, committed for trial or sentence, detained in care or subject to an interim care order. It is not known how many children were admitted on more than one occasion. The figures 198W for 1973 and 1974 relate to the former County Council of Essex and the County borough of Southend-on-Sea.
Year Admissions 1973 … … … … 949 1974 … … … … 951 1975 … … … … 917 The admissions during the year ended 31st March 1975—latest available figures—represent a rate per 1,000 of the population aged under 18 of 2.2 for Essex, 3.8 for England, 3.3 for Wales, 3.2 for Scotland—year ending 31st December 1974—which includes only children admitted to care under Section 15 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, and 1.9 for Northern Ireland, year ending 31st March 1974.