§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many households which include handicapped children have been helped by local authority social services departments for the most recent period for which this information is available; how the numbers compare with those for earlier periods; and if he will make a statement.
387W
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisDuring the year ended 31st March 1975, the most recent period for which information is availables, local authority social services departments in England provided some 234,000 households with certain forms of assistance such as telephones, personal aids and adaptations to property. Of these households 4,600 were known to include handicapped children. The corresponding figures for the year ended 31st March 1974 were 199,000 and 3,600 respectively. This was the first year for which reliable figures were available. The above figures represent only a part of the help given by local authority social services departments to handicapped children and their families.