§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that there is generally adequate provision made to give short-term relief to relatives of dependent handicapped persons; and what steps he proposes to take to improve the facilities and assistance for such circumstances.
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§ Mr. PrenticeLocal and health authorities are fully aware of the difficulties faced by the families of handicapped people, and, within present resource constraints, they generally do what they can to provide support, including short-term relief, to families in greatest need. I have asked authorities to do their utmost to protect services for handicapped people and other vulnerable sections of the community, but the priority given to individual services is essentially a matter for local decision.