§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will now give his estimate of the number of severely disabled children who will benefit from the £3 million fund announced on 29th November last; if he will list the categories of severely disabled children qualifying for help from the fund; if he is now satisfied that the amount of the fund is adequate for the needs of all these children; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will ensure that no part of the £3 million fund announced on 29th November last is used for services for which severely disabled children can already qualify under the provisions of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir K. JosephSince eligibility for assistance from this fund will depend on the circumstances of the children and their families it is not possible to estimate the numbers who will benefit, nor to list all categories of eligible disability. I cannot judge the adequacy of the fund until experience of its operation is available. While the fund is intended to complement services provided by statutory bodies, bearing in mind that local authorities are necessarily building up their services as fast as resources permit. I would not wish to limit the trust's discretion by insisting that they may not provide a service which a local authority has power to provide. I would not expect196W the trust to provide any such service however without prior consultation with the authority.