§ Miss Maynardasked the Secretary of State for social Services how much money was allocated in the most recent year for which figures are available to fund mental health in England.
§ Sir George YoungFunds are not allocated centrally to specific services, and it is for health and local authorities to determine spending on particular client groups in the light of local needs and priorities. The following table shows estimated net revenue expenditure on health and personal social services specifically for the mentally handicapped and mentally ill in 1978–79—the latest year for which figures are available:
England 1978–79 £ million at November 1978 prices Hospital Mental handicap in-patients and out-patients 227.1 Mental illness in-patients and out-patients 469.0 Psychiatric day-patients 23.0 Personal Social Services Mental handicap residential facilities 32.9 Mental handicap day facilities 40.2 Mental illness residential facilities 6.8 Mental illness day facilities 5.5 Total 804.5 This total does not include expenditure on some generic services—for example, family practitioner and community health services, social work—which benefit mentally handicapped and mentally ill people, but which cannot be apportioned to particular client groups.