§ Mr. Moateasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT his letter of 16th February to the hon. Member for Faversham on the effect of Section 45 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 on the provision of television and television licences for elderly people.
§ Mr. AlisonYes. The text of the letter is as follows.
You wrote to me again on 16th January about the provision of television sets and licences for elderly and handicapped people.I am enclosing a copy of our Circular 19/71, to which you referred. Paragraph 4 of this circular conveys the Secretary of State's approval of arrangements for the provision of recreation in the home under Section 45 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968. It is my Department's view that this covers the provision of television (by payment of rental or otherwise) and licences for elderly people, although the extent to which provision is made must be a matter for individual authorities.The provision for assisting handicapped people (including the elderly handicapped) is contained in Section 2 of the Chronically Sick 241W and Disabled Persons Act 1970. Responsibility for determining what help (if any) should be given in any particular case must again rest with the individual authority, according to its resources and the priorities for provision which it alone can determine.
§ Mr. Moateasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what funds have been made available to local authorities to implement those provisions under Section 45 of the Health Services and Public Health Act relating to the provision of recreation in the home, and particularly the provision of television for elderly people.
§ Sir K. JosephThe Government do not make funds available to local authorities for specific services of this kind, but accepted forecasts of expenditure on them qualify for rate support grant, which will be 60 per cent. of relevant expenditure in 1973–74 compared with 58 per cent. in 1972–73.