HC Deb 13 June 1978 vol 951 cc432-9W
Mr. Moonman

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what were the overall budgets of the Oxford Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78: and what proportions of these budgets were spent on (a) mental illness services and (b) mental handicap services;

(2) what was the overall budget of the North West Thames Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were spent (a) on mental illness services and (b) on mental handicap services;

(3) what was the overall budget of the South West Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were spent (a) on mental illness services and (b) on mental handicap services;

(4) what was the overall budget of the South East Thames Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were spent (a) on mental illness services and (b) on mental handicap services;

(5) what were the overall budgets for the Wessex Regional Health Authority for 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were spent on (a) mental illness services and (b) mental handicap services;

(6) what were the overall budgets for the East Anglian Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were spent (a) on mental illness services and (b) mental handicap services.

Mr. James Johnson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the overall budget of the Yorkshire Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these figures were allocated to (a) mental illness services and (b) mental handicap services.

Mr. Cowans

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the overall budget for the Northern Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were spent (a) on services for the mentally handicapped and (b) on services for the mentally ill.

Mr. McCrindle

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the overall budget of the North East Thames Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were spent on (a) mental illness services and (b) mental handicap services.

Mr. Forrester

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the overall budgets for the Trent Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were spent (a) on mental illness services and (b) mental handicap services.

Mr. Dudley Smith

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the overall budgets for the West Midlands Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were allocated to (a) mental illness services and (b) mental handicap services.

Mr. Stephen Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the overall budgets for the South Western Regional Health Authority for the years 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were allocated to (a) mental illness services and (b) mental handicap services.

Mr. Steen

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the overall budgets for the North Western Regional Health Authority for 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were spent (a) on mental illness services and (b) mental handicap services.

Mr. Ogden

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the overall budgets for the Mersey Regional Health Authority for 1975–76, 1976–77 and 1977–78; and what proportions of these budgets were spent on (a) mental illness services and (b) mental handicap services.

Mr. Ennals

The table below provides, for the years 1975–76 and 1976–77, figures which represent the combined capital and revenue expenditure outturn of each regional health authority. For the year 1977–78, for which final expenditure figures are not yet available, the combined net cash limit is given.

As information in the accounts and costing returns rendered by National Health Service authorities about the treatment of patients suffering from specified diseases or conditions is limited to expenditure on services in single-specialty hospitals, I regret that it is not possible to identify the overall cost of providing services for the mentally ill and the men- tally handicapped, and the proportions requested cannot be provided.

£million
Expenditure outturn Net cash limit
Region 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78
1. Northern 211.0 241.0 264.5
2. Yorkshire 242.6 272.5 301.2
3. Trent 285.4 328.5 369.5
4. East Anglian 117.4 132.5 150.8
5. North West Thames 297.0 327.0 356.9
6. North East Thames 319.9 362.4 392.4
7. South East Thames 305.2 344.9 370.2
8. South West Thames 247.1 272.7 295.8
9. Wessex 170.7 193.6 219.3
10. Oxford 146.8 164.1 179.4
11. South Western 206.1 236.2 259.7
12. West Midlands 330.3 368.0 404.7
13. Mersey 189.5 213.5 236.8
14. North Western 282.2 321.7 361.1
Total 3,351.2 3.778.6 4,162.3

Mr. Richard Wainwright

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what ratio of staff to residents is used in calculating the weekly costs per resident in (a) local authority hostels for the mentally ill and (b) local authority hostels for the mentally handicapped.

Mr. Moyle

Ratios of staff to residents are not used in calculating weekly costs per resident. The costs are arrived at by dividing expenditure by the average number of residents.

Mr. Sainsbury

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what proportion of joint funding allocations for 1976–77 and 1977–78 has been spent on revenue grants to (a) local authorities and (b) voluntary organisations to provide services for mentally handicapped people;

(2) what proportion of joint funding allocations for 1976–77 and 1977–78 has been spent on capital grants to (a) local authorities and (b) voluntary organisations to provide services for mentally handicapped people;

(3) what proportion of joint funding allocations for 1976–77 and 1977–78 has been spent on revenue grants to services for the mentally ill provided by (a) local authorities and (b) voluntary organisations.

Mr. Dudley Smith

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the joint funding allocations for 1976–77 and 1977–78 has been spent on capital grants for services for mentally ill to (a) local authorities and (b) voluntary organisations.

Mr. Moyle

Information about joint finance sums provided to voluntary organisations is not separately available, but set out below are the proportions of the total joint finance allocations for each year that authorities informed me were being spent on the services specified.

Services for the mentally handicapped Services for the mentally ill
per cent per cent.
1976–77:
Capital 16 5
Revenue 4 1
1977–78:
Capital 18 6
Revenue 9 3

Mr. Ronald Atkins

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many places there were in group homes for the mentally ill in 1975, 1976 and 1977.

Mr. Moyle

The number of places available in England for the mentally ill in local authority unstaffed homes and hostels at 31st March in the years 1975 to 1977 was as follows: 1975, 707; 1976, 825; 1977, 949.

Mr. Hal Miller

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many local authorities are making no direct residential provision for the adult mentally ill—excluding voluntary/private provision.

Mr. Moyle

11 local authorities in England did not record provision for mentally ill adults in local authority residential accommodation at 31st March 1977.

Mr. Richard Wainwright

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many local authorities are making no direct day care provision for the adult mentally ill—excluding voluntary provision.

Mr. Moyle

36 local authorities in England did not record places for mentally ill people in local authority day centres at 31st March 1977. However, 19 of these authorities provide mixed centres where places are not allocated to any specific group.

Mr. Ovenden

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many local authorities have reached the guidelines figures in "Better Services for the Mentally Ill" for (a) day care places and (b) residential provision.

Mr. Moyle

Of 108 authorities, three were known to have met the guideline planning ratio for day centre places at 31st March 1977. Information available centrally does not show how many of nearly 7,000 day centre places available nationally but not allocated to a specific group were used by the mentally ill; and 31 authorities had met the guideline planning ratio of 19 residential places to 100,000 population suggested as a minimum for areas of "average need".

Dr. M. S. Miller

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total number of places in local authority and residential services for the adult mentally ill in 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977.

Mr. Moyle

The number of places in England available in local authority residential accommodation for adult mentally ill people at 31st March in the years 1974 to 1977 was as follows:

1974 3,628
1975 4,496
1976 4,685
1977 5,299
The figures quoted include places made available to local authorities by other organisations.

Dr. M. S. Miller

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total number of places in local authority day centres for the mentally ill in 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977.

Mr. Moyle

The number of places in England available in local authority day centres for the mentally ill at 31st March in the years 1974 to 1977 was as follows:

1974 5,922
1975 5,275
1976 4,874
1977 5,354
The figures quoted include places made available to local authorities by other organisations, but do not take into account the increase in day places in mixed centres not allocated to particular client groups.

Mr. D. E. Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what figures he bases the statement in the Department of Health and Social Services planning guidelines for 1978–79 (LAC(78)6) to the effect that the number of residential places is in line with "The Way Forward for the Mentally Ill."

Mr. Ennals

According to local authority returns, the number of places available to local authorities at 31st March 1976 was about 4,700. "The Way Forward" envisaged an increase to some 5,500 places by 1980. The number of places available at 31st March 1977, according to the latest figures, was about 5,300.

Mr. Alan Lee Williams

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what provisions in terms of both capital grants and general funding are planned to assist voluntary organisations to maintain and improve their services for the mentally ill.

Mr. Ennals

In 1977–78, £275,000, or about 8 per cent. of grants made by my Department under Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to voluntary organisations working in all the health and social services fields, was to organisations providing services for the mentally ill. The comparable figure for the year 1973–4 was £80,000. For 1978–9, £299,000 is provisionally committed by way of general funding grants already approved or under consideration, to voluntary organisations working for the mentally ill, and I am prepared to consider further applications. I have not received any application from such organisations for capital grants, which are only given in exceptional circumstances. Local and health authorities also have powers to make grants to assist voluntary organisations, but information is not available about the provisions they are making in this field.