§ Mr. Irvingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied that local authority community-based services for the mentally ill are expanding sufficiently rapidly to offset the rundown in National Health Service accommodation.
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§ Mrs. CurrieThe development of comprehensive, local services for mentally ill people requires the co-operation of health authorities, the voluntary sector and the private sector as well as local authorities. The rate at which services in the community are increasing is generally satisfactory, although we recognise that there are parts of the country where progress is disappointingly slow.
We are not aware of any examples of mental illness hospitals being closed and former patients failing to receive appropriate care in an alternative setting.