§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he is satisfied that large sums of money should be permanently reserved for upgrading existing hospitals for the mentally handicapped, and for building new hospital-type units, where this money could be more effectively used if distributed to social services departments to create small community-type units;
(2) whether he will consider setting up a working group to study the feasibility of guaranteeing a proportion of joint financing moneys for the development of small residential units for the mentally handicapped in the community.
§ Sir George YoungMy right hon. Friend does not specify the projects on which health authorities' capital resources or their joint finance should be spent. In deciding on their capital and joint financing programmes authorities are free, within overall guidelines, to determine their own priorities. Capital allocated to fund health programmes may not be used for other purposes, except that authorities are able to augment the sums provided for joint financing from these allocations. It is, therefore, open to particular health and local authorities, by agreement, to undertake the sort of development envisaged by the right hon. Gentlemen. I am aware of at least five community-type residential units which have been joint-financed in 1979–80. The estimated contribution from joint finance was £1.2 million.
My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to set up a working group of the kind suggested.