§ Mrs. Anne Kerrasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children are in care in the county of Kent due to the inability of their parents to find a dwelling in which to live; how many children are in care from Rochester and Chatham for the same reason; and what is the average cost per week of keeping a child in care throughout the country and in Kent, respectively.
§ Miss BaconThe information asked for in the first two parts of the Question is not readily available. During the year ended 31st March, 1965, 236 children of homeless families were received into care by the County of Kent under the Children Act, 1948, and of these 33 were from the City of Rochester and the Borough of Chatham. In the financial year 1964–65, the average cost per week of maintaining a child in care was £5 13s. 2½d. for England and Wales and £6 0s. 2½d. for the County of Kent. This excludes administrative costs which cannot be apportioned between the maintenance of children in care and other functions of the children's service.