§ Mr. Christopher Priceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when she expects to make her statement about the provision of community services for the mentally ill and handicapped.
§ Dr. OwenMy right hon. Friend hopes to make general policy statements about services for the mentally ill and the mentally handicapped in the next few months but my hon. Friend will appreciate that decisions on the level of resources to be made available for community services must await the outcome of our public expenditure survey.
§ Mr. Christopher Priceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when she expects to bring up to date the statistics in Command Paper No. 4683 on mentally ill and handicapped persons who need accommodation within the community.
§ Dr. OwenAs indicated in paragraph 195 of Cmnd. 4683 the planning guidelines for the mentally handicapped will be adjusted progressively in the light of experience and research. The same principle will apply to guidelines for the mentally ill. There is no firm evidence at present which would justify replacing 183W these planning guidelines by different figures.