§ Mr. Edwin Brooksasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of children in the care of local authorities in England and Wales; and what is the average cost of each child per week at present compared to five years ago.
§ Mr. Elystan Morgan69,358 on 31st March, 1968.
Taking account only of children on whose maintenance expenditure was incurred, the average cost of maintenance per child per week was £7 6s. 2d. in 1967–68 and £5 3s. 7¼d. in 1962–63, towards which parents contributed an average of 7s. 1d. per child per week in 1967–68 and 6s. 3d. in 1962–63. Items of general expenditure which cannot be apportioned between children in care and the other services provided by local authority children's departments are excluded from the calculation.