§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children were in local authority care in England, Wales and Scotland in each of the past three years.
§ Sir George YoungNumbers of children in care on 31 March in the past three years for which figures are available are as follows (thousands):
England Wales Scotland 1976 95.8 4.8 17.3 1977 96.2 4.9 16.9 1978 95.8 4.9 17.1 The figures for Scotland include children who were under supervision requirements made by children's hearings and accordingly are not comparable with those for England and Wales.
§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of children in care come from the major cities; and what percentage from the rural areas.
§ Sir George YoungInformation is not available in the form requested. The number of children in care on 31 March 1977 in each local authority area in England and Wales is shown in "Children in Care in England and Wales, March 1977" (HC 129).
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§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how much was spent on administration and field work in respect of children in care in each of the past three years;
(2) how much was spent on children in care in each of the past three years;
1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 Expenditure … … … … … £143.7 million £171.0 million £189.6 million Average cost of maintaining a child in a community home or registered voluntary home … … … … … … £3,400 £4,100 £4,600 Administration and field social work costs cannot be allocated to specific services and the above figures exclude such costs. Capital charges have been included, but no deduction has been made in respect of parental contributions.