§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the guidelines for the provision of psychiatric day centres; if he will give details of the present extent of local authority psychiatric day centre facilities in Cheshire; what plans the Cheshire county council has for future provision; and how this provision compares with the national guidelines and the national average provision, respectively.
§ Sir George YoungThe national guidelines planning figure for day centres for the mentally ill is 60 places to 100,000 population, although local needs will vary with local circumstances. The national average provision at 31 March 1978, the latest date for which figures are available, was 12 places to 100,000 population. I understand that Cheshire county council has no day centre places for the mentally ill other than for the elderly mentally infirm. I understand also that it has no plans to provide such places within the next five years.