§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Wales to whom he has extended invitations to serve on the all-Wales working party on services for mentally handicapped people; to how many voluntary organisations invitations have been extended; what provision there is for parents of handicapped children to be represented; and if he will publish its terms of reference.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsThe organisations listed as follows were invited and have accepted an invitation to nominate representatives to serve on the working party.
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- The Welsh Counties Committee
- The Council for the Principality
- The area health authorities
- The Welsh Medical Committee
- The Welsh Nursing and Midwifery Committee
- The British Association of Social Workers (Wales branch)
- The Residential Care Association
- Wales MIND and the Campaign for the Mentally
- Handicapped
- The Royal Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults (MENCAP)
One of the voluntary organisations' representatives is the parent of a mentally-handicapped child, and in addition two further parents who are not formal members of the working party have been invited to attend meetings and receive papers. The working party will be able to co-opt additional expertise as it feels necessary.
The proposed terms of reference are as follows:
"To propose to the Secretary of State for Wales by May 1982 an all-Wales strategy for the development of integrated patterns of community-based services for mentally handicapped people in Wales which can be translated into detailed plans for provision to be drawn up jointly by the statutory and voluntary bodies concerned with the delivery of services at the local level."