§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement regarding the amount of money made available for community care in Kent prior to, and since, the recent changes; and what is her estimate of the availability of resources for the care of the elderly in Kent for 1995–96 and the three preceding years.
§ Mr. BowisKent personal social services standard spending assessments, which include resources for community care, plus the special transitional grant for community care introduced in 1993–94 are shown in the table for each of the last five years:
£million 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 95.154 117.790 126.655 156.772 177.834 It is for local authorities to decide how to allocate their resources in the light of local priorities, with the exception of the special transitional grant, which must be spent on community care services.
Funding for 1995–96 will be announced shortly.