§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that social services departments are coping adequately with the problems of agoraphobics; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir George YoungLocal authority social services departments are responsible under the National Health Service Acts for providing care and after-care facilities for people suffering from mental illness, including people suffering from phobic states. In addition, the powers which local authorities have under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, to assist different classes of disabled persons, apply to people suffering from agoraphobia as to other mentally ill people. We have no information centrally as to how particular local authorities are using their powers under these two Acts specifically to provide for the problems of agoraphobics.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research is being undertaken into agoraphobia.
§ Sir George YoungThe Medical Research Council has primary responsibility for research into the cause and cure of a condition. I understand from my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science that although the MRC has no research grants specific to agoraphobia, two of its programme grants, with a total value of £97,000 in 1977 –78, the last year for which firm figures are available, include studies of phobia. These are
Institute of Psychiatry (Dr. I. Mark and Dr. S. Rachman) Therapeutic Studies of resistant neuroses.203WUniversity of Oxford (Professor M. Gelder) Psychological treatment of psychoneuroses.In my right hon. Friend's Department, the medical illness research liaison group authorised £55,000 funding in 1978 for evaluation of a service likely to assist agoraphobics amongst others.
Other relevant work is being carried out at universities and hospital medical schools, but details are not available.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of people in the United Kingdom severely handicapped by agoraphobia.
§ Sir George YoungEvidence on which to base an estimate of the number of people in the United Kingdom severely handicapped by agoraphobia is not available.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what assistance is provided by his Department to self-help organisations for agoraphobics.
§ Sir George YoungWe do not currently fund any self-help organisations for agoraphobics, but we are always prepared to consider the applications under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968, to voluntary bodies working in the health and personal social services field. Assistance is usually limited to organisations which are national in scope, since local authorities and health authorities have similar powers to make grants to voluntary organisations working in particular localities.