§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many staff are currently employed on Supplementary Benefits Commission reception and re-establishment centres work in (a) the centres themselves, and (b) in administration outside the centres.
§ Mr. DeakinsThe information is as follows: (a) 614; (b) 18 at headquarters employed wholly or mainly on policy administration. Other staff in headquarters and regional Offices are marginally involved to an extent not separately calculable.
471W
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the reception and re-establishment centres of the Supplementary Benefits Commission by region; how many places are provided in each; and what is the average length of stay in a Supplementary Benefits Commission reception or re-establishment centre.
§ Mr. DeakinsInformation about location of centres and numbers of places is given in the table below.
RECEPTION CENTRES AND RE-ESTABLISHMENT CENTRES—NUMBERS OF PLACES Re-establishment centre Region and Centre Reception centre Number of beds Residential Number of beds Daily Number of places Scotland Bishopbriggs, Glasgow 30 6 43 Wales Stormy Down, Bridgend, Glam 64 — 18 Northern Plawsworth, Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham 112 14 30 Yorkshire and Humberside Leeds 96 — 30 Woodhouse, Sheffield 96 — 35 East Midlands and East Anglia Alvaston, Derby 104 — 15 London North Brady House, Stepney, E.1 — — 40 London South Crown Quay Lodge, Sittingbourne, Kent 76 — 15 Camberwell, Peckham, S.E.15 938 — — Lancelot Andrewes House, Southwark, S.E.1 60 — — Cedars Lodge, Clapham, S.W.4 100 — — Brighton✶ 38 — — London West Camden, Kings Cross, W.C.1 35 — — Bridge House, Notting Hill, W.10 120 — 20 Pound Lodge, Willesden, N.W.10 80 — — West End, Dean Street, W.1 80 — — Southampton, Hants 80 — 25 Newbury, Berks. 68 — 12 South-Western Winterbourne, Bristol 112 — 18 West Midlands West Midlands, Lye, Stourbridge, Worcs. 140 — 40 Henley-in-Arden, Solihull, Warwicks. — 30 20 North-Western Manchester Walkden, Worsley, Manchester, Lancs. 84 — 45 Manchester (Mill Street) — — 30 Merseyside Fazakerley, Liverpool, Lancs. 61 — 30 Totals 2,574 50 466 * Local authority administered.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many: (a) reception and (b) re-establishment centres
472WIn re-establishment centres the average length of stay is about six to eight weeks. Similar information is not available for reception centres, but the following was the length of stay of the persons resident in directly-administered centres on 14th June 1977:
Less than 1 week 442 1 week but less than 13 weeks 654 13 weeks but less than 26 weeks 138 26 weeks but less than 52 weeks 101 52 weeks but less than 2 years 71 Over 2 years 31 have been administered by the Supplementary Benefits Commission in each of the last four years; and at what cost.
473W
§ Mr. DeakinsThe number of centres of each kind at present and at the end
Combined Reception and Re-establishment Centres Reception Centres only Re-establishment Centres only Total At present … 14 7 3 24 December 1976 … 14 8 3 25 December 1975 … 13 10 3 26 December 1974 … 12 11 3 26 December 1973 … 12 10 3 25 The costs of reception centres and re-establishment centres cannot be separated. Figures for 1976–77 are not yet available; those for the previous three financial years were:
1975–76
£4,200,000 (including £200,000 on new works)
1974–75
13,200,000 (including £500,000 on new works)
1973–74
£2,400,000 (including £500,000 on new works)