Major Lloydasked the Minister of National Insurance what is the average number of visits made each year by an officer of the National Assistance Board 211W to old people living alone and in receipt of Assistance grants; and whether she will arrange for such visits to be made more frequently and regularly in future.
Mr. B. TaylorThe Board are unable to say how many of the five million home visits which their officers make in the course of a year are made to old people living alone: the frequency of visiting in the individual case depends on the circumstances, including the person's age, capacities, and whether there are friends and relatives living nearby. In many cases the recipient is visited no oftener than once a year but more frequent visits are made where necessary. The hon. Member may like to consult the Board's Annual Report for 1949 which sets out the Board's policy on pages 15–17.