§ Mr. Parkasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if there are minimum standards for the condition of property used as part III accommodation by local authorities;
(2) if he has issued general guidelines to local authorities on the use of part III accommodation.
§ Mr. MoyleI have been asked to reply.
My Department is responsible for policy on the provision of residential accommodation under part III of the National Assistance Act 1948.
169WThere are no minimum standards laid down centrally, as the age and type of property used for this purpose varies widely. Guidance on the design of residential accommodation for the elderly is contained in local authority building note no. 2 published in May 1973. Whilst this guidance relates primarily to the construction of new buildings, the basic principles also apply to the adaptation and upgrading of existing buildings, although it may not always be practical or economical to apply the guidance precisely to such schemes.
More generally, local authority circular 13/74, issued in February 1974, set out the arrangements which the new local authorities could make to provide part III accommodation. Further general guidance on the role of residential accommodation was contained in the consultative document "Priorities for Health and Personal Social Services in England" published in 1976, the complementary document "The Way Forward" published in 1977, and in the guidance on planning issued in March 1978, under cover of local authority circular (78)6. A memorandum of guidance on arrangements for health care in residential homes for the elderly was issued in July 1977, under cover of local authority circular (77)13.