§ 47. Mr. O'Halloranasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children under 15 years of age are now in the care of local authorities in England and Wales.
§ Mr. AlisonOn 31st March, 1971, the latest date for which figures are available, 60,693 children of or below compulsory school age were in the care of
NUMBERS OF CHILDREN OF COMPULSORY SCHOOL AGE IN THE CARE OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN THE GREATER LONDON AREA ON 31ST MARCH 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971* Barking … … 93 109 109 129 144 175 Barnet … … 186 173 168 148 137 152 Bexley … … 68 63 67 79 81 104 Brent … … 300 312 349 348 393 404 Bromley … … 138 148 154 159 200 254 Camden … … 299 295 298 316 339 359 Croydon … … 234 189 188 207 215 270 Ealing … … 208 223 207 214 226 289 Enfield … … 142 137 134 128 119 137 Greenwich … … 282 292 274 279 279 346 Hackney … … 419 421 435 438 514 595 Hammersmith … … 337 365 380 374 382 444 Haringey … … 191 238 280 336 370 421 Harrow … … 64 64 54 58 56 57 Havering … … 86 99 100 98 111 137 Hillingdon … … 130 121 136 144 154 174 Hounslow … … 153 145 131 133 148 174 Islington … … 585 549 566 502 496 562 Kensington and Chelsea … … 348 352 372 399 410 418 Kingston … … 85 66 46 85 95 121 Lambeth … … 572 574 624 637 643 720 Lewisham … … 345 358 381 393 396 421 City of London … … 1 — — — — 1 Merton … … 127 128 131 145 170 180 Newham … … 185 202 201 201 220 283 Redbridge … … 57 68 58 60 73 94 Richmond … … 98 97 90 79 103 104 Southwark … … 464 466 508 567 551 597 Sutton … … 16 86 85 90 98 131 Tower Hamlets … … 857 815 817 805 767 831 Waltham Forest … … 109 110 123 130 134 180 Wandsworth … … 450 461 501 545 562 671 City of Westminster … … 386 375 394 403 429 418 Totals … … 8,015 8,101 8,361 8,629 9,015 10,224 * The figures for 1971 are not directly comparable with those for earlier years, since on 1st January, 1971 the power of thte courts to commit to approved school was replaced by a power to commit to the care of a local authoriy, and all persons under 19 then subject to approved school orders or to supervision after release from approved school were deemed from that date to be subject to care orders