Mr. Nicholas Winter tonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will commission a research project using information collated from medical records and information from the courts of new cases in order to study the link between the abuse of children and the marital status of and stability of relationship between the carers of the victim, taking full account of whether or not the abuser was the natural parent of the victim, whether he or she had at the time time of abuse been married or was cohabitating with the victim's other parent, and whether at the time of abuse the abuser was separated, divorced or distanced from the other parent of the victim.
§ Mrs. Currie[holding answer 27 July 1988]: Child abuse is a priority field for research sponsored by the Department, and there is a substantial programme of research, details of which follow. It is well known that disruption of normal family life may be a factor in some child abuse cases and there are no plans at present to focus solely on this question.
his decision not to set up a full independent public inquiry into the Wakefield health authority's proposed introduction of cook-chill catering and related matters;
(2) what action he proposes to take on the first recommendation of the report of the Yorkshire regional health authority inquiry into Wakefield health authority concerning the chairman of Wakefield health authority, a copy of which has been sent to him.
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§ Mrs. CurrieWe are considering the report, which was received only this week.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his Department was consulted by Yorkshire regional health authority concerning its direction to Wakefield health authority to spend its share of the non-recurrent grant in December 1987 on meeting the additional costs of implementing cook-chill catering; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe region informed the Department in advance of discussion with its districts as to how it expected them to use the additional non-recurrent funds allocated in December, including in Wakefield's case that the money should be used to implement cook-chill, thereby securing recurrent savings. No formal direction was issued by the region to its districts.
§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will request the Yorkshire regional health authority to publish its report on the management of Wakefield district health authority; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieNo.