§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the members of his Department's social services inspectorate, based either in London or in the regions, worked as domiciliary care management at any time before they entered the inspectorate.
§ Mr. WhitneySince 1971 most local social services departments have decentralised domiciliary care services so that they are managed at local level. A major criterion for entry to the social services inspectorate is that candidates should have at least five years experience of senior management in a personal social services agency. While it is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to offer precise numbers it is estimated that half of the inspectors will have been responsible for managing domiciliary care services (among other services) prior to joining the social services inspectorate.