§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many 54W adolescents there are in care at the present time; and how many there were in 1975 and 1974, respectively.
§ Mr. MoyleI regret that this information is not available. The number of children in care in England of compulsory school age and over compulsory school age at 31st March each year is as follows:
Thousands 1974 1975 1976* Compulsory school age 60.7 63.7 64.9 Over compulsory age 19.5 19.0 19.1 * Provisional.
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many care homes there are in the United Kingdom in 1976; and how many there were in 1975 and 1974, respectively.
§ Mr. MoyleThe number of community homes—excluding hostels—catering for children and young persons in England and Wales as at 31st March in each year, in terms of Section 36 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969, is as follows:
1974 1975 1976 Controlled or maintained by local authorities. 2,060 2,099 2,184 Assisted voluntary homes * 187 † * Not collected. † Not yet available. The number of other children's homes run by voluntary organisations and registered under section 29 of the Childrens Act 1948 is as follows—
1974 1975 1976 220 227 286 For Scotland and Northern Ireland residential accommodation for children and young persons is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average cost per head of keeping (a) a boy in care and (b) a girl in care in 1976.
§ Mr. MoyleSeparate information about the cost of keeping a boy and a girl in care is not available centrally. The provisional average weekly cost of keeping a child in care in England during the 1975–76 financial year was 55W £32. This figure does not include administration and field social work costs which cannot be allocated to specific services, and no account has been taken of parental contributions.
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the highest amount paid to keep (a) a boy in care and (b) a girl in care in the United Kingdom in 1976.