§ Mr. Kenneth Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many mentally ill and mentally handicapped patients at present in hospital would be considered suitable to live in hostel accommodation if such accommodation were available.
§ Dr. OwenNo reliable estimates are available. "Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped" (Cmnd. 4683) suggested that eventually between one-third and one-half of mentally handicapped adults in hospitals might be relocated in the community. It is much harder to make an assessment in the area of mental illness, though the White Paper on Mental Illness (Cmnd. 6233) discusses in some detail the wide range of services which needs to be developed to help mentally ill people live in the community.