§ Miss Lestorasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what effect the cuts in public expenditure have had on social services departments which have applied for loan sanction for projects for the mentally ill and the mentally handicapped.
§ Sir K. JosephNone. The capital resources available for these purposes were excluded from the effect of the cuts recently announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
§ Miss Lestorasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many local authority applications for loan sanction for capital projects in the mental health field were refused in the current financial year; and whether the completion of the targets set out in the White Paper "Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped" will now be achieved.
§ Sir K. JosephI expect approvals in the current year for mental handicap projects to be in line with the forecast in paragraph 208 of "Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped"(Cmnd. 4683) and some 60 per cent. in value higher than in 1970–71. Proposals by local authorities were, however, in total very much larger, and it has been necessary to defer projects for 3,684 training centre and 1,691 residential places for the mentally handicapped and for 82 day centre and 50 residential places for the mentally ill.