§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of day centre places per 100,000 population the North-West has for the mentally 500W ill; how this compares with the national average; and what steps he intends to take to improve the situation.
§ Mr. MoyleEstimates for 31 March 1978—final figures are not yet available—suggest that there were about 9.2 day centre places per 100,000 population for the mentally ill in the area covered by my Department's North-Western social work service region, as against about 12.6 places per 100,000 population in England as a whole. Both figures exclude centres in which places are not allocated to particular client groups.
Action being taken to improve the national position is set out in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Moonman) on 22 January and in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Ormskirk (Mr. Kilroy-Silk) on 8 February.—[Vol. 961, c. 57–8; Vol. 962, c. 274.] Of the 20 authorities referred to therein, six are in the North-Western region, and I shall be writing to my hon. Friend about those 20 authorities and the general position as soon as I can. In the North-West region I understand that a good deal of progress is being made; for example, voluntary provision is increasing, partly through urban aid, and there are new projects in capital building programmes. Improving collaboration between social services and health authorities is helping to identify the kind of provision required, and new initiatives are being taken through joint financing.