HC Deb 22 March 1976 vol 908 c12W
Mr. Patrick Jenkin

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimates she has made of the comparative costs of providing the necessary support for women's aid centres and of making alternative provision for such families, whether by taking children into care, providing Part III accommodation, or by any other exercise of statutory powers in that behalf.

Mr. Meacher

I think local authorities, as I am, are well aware that voluntary accommodation normally costs less than accommodation or care provided by local authorities, but we are considering the examination of comparative costings as a quantified aid to future planning.