§ Miss LestorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of child protection teams allocated to each health board within the United Kingdom; and what is the number of people in each team.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyIt is for local agencies in England to decide in the light of local needs and circumstances on the allocation of staff to child protection work. Information on the number of staff working specifically in this field is not collected centrally.
Arrangements for the rest of the United Kingdom are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
§ Miss LestorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of cases reported to child protection teams in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months; and what was the number of cases actively pursued.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyInformation is not collected centrally about the number of cases reported to child protection teams or the number of cases actively pursued. For England, information is collected centrally about the number of names added to child protection registers. The most recent information relates to the year ending 31 March 1989 and is published in the provisional feedback "Children and Young Persons on Child Protection Registers England 1989". Copies are available in the Library.
Statistics for the rest of the United Kingdom are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.