§ 20. Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how the standard of facilities provided for the care of the mentally handicapped and the mentally ill in Birmingham compares with that of other large urban areas; and to what extent the facilities fall short of the standard regarded as necessary by his Department.
§ Mr. MoyleI have no reliable means of making comparisons of quality. On quantity, the latest published statistics show that, in relation to population, the number of places available in various forms of personal social services provision for these groups in Birmingham is still below the numbers in the English metropolitan areas taken as a whole; which are in turn below the long-term aim set out in the guidelines in two White Papers,366W "Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped" and "Better Services for the Mentally Ill".