§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what comparison he has made between the cost of paying realistic boarding-out rates to foster parents, increasing with the age of the child, so that fostering allowances are at least equivalent to the average family spending on a single child shown in the latest Family Expenditure Survey, and the cost of residential care.
§ Mr. EnnalsResponsibility for determining the rates of boarding-out allow-978W ances rests with individual local authorities and such allowances are generally related to the age of the child but I have no information as to the extent to which local authorities take any account of the Family Expenditure Survey in doing so. As to the value of making any general comparison such as the right hon. Member suggests between the boarding-out allowances and the cost of residential care, I would draw his attention to my hon. Friend's reply to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Lewis) on 11th October.—[Vol. 917, c. 75–6.]