§ 33. Mrs. Wiseasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the level of provision of aids and appliances to help disabled people; and whether this is being affected by public expenditure restraints.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisThere is still much more to be done to achieve a uniformly 209W satisfactory level of provision but substantial and, in some localities, highly commendable progress has been made in implementing Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, which I assume my hon. Friend has in mind. In the year ended 31st March 1975, the number of households assisted in England under Section 2 increased by some 18 per cent. over the number assisted in the previous year. Early returns for the year ended 31st March 1976 indicate that this increase continued last year at the rate of about 10 per cent. It is for local authorities to determine the level of provision needed for these services within the overall limit on their expenditure.