§ Mr. Grahamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list in the Official Report the occasions since January 1951 on which her Department has issued circulars to local authorities requesting them to stabilise or reduce local government expenditure in fields covered by her Department, indicating the relevant Command Papers.
246Wextent; in which regions there is an inadequate provision of such establishments; and what proposals she has for improving the situation.
§ Mr. Alec Jones :Information about the number of vacancies in all types of community homes provided under the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 is not available. Such information as we have is set out in the table below. This shows for each regional planning area in England what, according to the plans pre pared by the regional planning committees, are the number of places in community homes required in each region to meet 1975 needs, the number of places provided in September 1974—and the number of homes—the shortfall in places and, finally, the number of places planned to meet this shortfall and to replace unsuitable residential provision. The additional places required will be provided as quickly as resources permit. If local authorities are able to complete the building programme provisionally approved for 1975–76 a total of 191 projects, providing 2,326 places, will be provided under that programme. Regional planning committees have been asked to ensure that facilities already available should be used to the best possible effect.
§ Mrs. Castle :The information required is not readily available and to obtain it would require a disproportionate amount of time and effort.