HC Deb 01 July 1980 vol 987 cc492-3W
Mr. Jim Callaghan

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many registered child minders there are; how many children they can take in total; what proportion this is of the total number of children aged under 5 years and what comparative figures there are for five years ago, and two years ago.

Sir George Young

The information is as follows:

numbers of domiciliary visits accepted and carried out by consultants.

Dr. Vaughan

It is not our policy to give health authorities detailed advice on how to make any necessary financial savings. Such decisions are best left to health authorities to take in the light of their particular local circumstances and priorities, and in consultation with medical and other staff as required.

In facing up to the difficult financial conditions of last year, health authorities were careful to look for savings in areas which did least harm to patient care.