§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate how many persons staying in the 23 resettlement units provided by his Department on the night of 31 March 1981 might otherwise have been an in-patient of a mental hospital or a mental handicap hospital; and, in particular, how many of the persons staying at the Camberwell resettlement unit on that night might have been in such hospitals.
§ Mrs. ChalkerPeople staying in resettlement units who, in the opinion of the medical officer, require treatment in a psychiatric hospital or a mental handicap hospital are referred to such hospitals in the usual way. It would not be realistic to seek to estimate how many people in resettlement units would otherwise be in such hospitals. In view of the fact, however, that Camberwell resettlement unit must close before December 1985, the joint assessment and resettlement team set up by the Greater London Council/London Boroughs Association working party on provision in London for people without a settled way of life is at present conducting, in co-operation with the Department, a sample survey of Camberwell users with a view to ascertaining the extent of different sorts of accommodation and care—including hospital care if appropriate—which will be required for Camberwell users when it closes.
§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons were staying in the 23 resettlement units in England, Scotland and Wales provided directly or indirectly by his Department on the night of 31 March 1981; how many of those persons he estimates were eligible for housing accommodation from a local housing authority by virtue of being vulnerable through old age, mental illness or handicap, physical disability or pregnancy under the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977; and what arrangements exist between each of the 23 resettlement units and local housing authorities for the rehousing of those homeless persons who are vulnerable under the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977.
§ Mrs. ChalkerOn the night of 31 March 1981, 1,948 persons were staying in the 23 resettlement units in England, Scotland and Wales provided directly or indirectly by the Department. It has been estimated that, at any one time, about one-third of the people accommodated in resettlement units, if discharged, would fall within priority need as defined in section 2 of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977. My right hon. Friend has no responsibility for finding permanent accommodation for persons temporarily accommodated in resettlement units, but staff engaged in resettlement work in the units do what they can to help.
§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he intends to make a statement concerning the outcome of his internal review of the management of the Camberwell resettlement unit, which his Department set up in 1979.
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§ Mrs. ChalkerI refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East (Mr. Dykes) on 27 July.—[Vol. 9, c.347–48.]
§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many beds were provided in each of the 23 resettlement units in England, Scotland and Wales by his Department during the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available; and what was the average rate of occupancy for each unit during the same period.
§ Mrs. ChalkerI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide additional beds in each of the following resettlement units provided by his Department: Camden, West End House, Spur House, Glen Parva and Leeds; whether he has plans either for the replacement or the refurbishment of each of the following resettlement units: Plawsworth, Walkden, Fazakerley, Alvaston, Winterbourne, Brighton, Bridgend and Newbury; and if he will estimate the cost of the works involved in (a) the provision of additional beds in the units listed and (b) the replacement or refurbishment of units.
§ Mrs. ChalkerAn improvement and enlargement scheme is currently being undertaken at Camden resettlement unit at an estimated cost of £170,000; it is hoped that an additional 15 beds will be provided on completion. We have under consideration a major refurbishment at West End House resettlement unit which will at the same time increase the capacity from 80 to 120 beds; the estimated cost of this project is £1.5 million. We have no plant to increase the number of beds in Spur House, Glen Parva or Leeds.
An improvement scheme at Plawsworth resettlement unit was completed in November 1980 for which the final costs are expected to be in the region of £220,000. The first phase of an improvement and enlargement scheme at Newbury resettlement unit was finished at the end of 1979 at a cost of £240,000, increasing the number of beds from 68 to 80. The second phase, providing further improvements, is expected to start at the end of this year at an estimated cost of £110,000. The need for replacement or refurbishment of the resettlement units at Walkden, Fazakerley Alvaston, Winterbourne, Brighton and Bridgend is currently under consideration.
§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total cost to his Department of maintaining the 23 resettlement units in England, Scotland and Wales provided directly or indirectly by his Department; and what is his estimate of the cost per capita for persons without a settled way of living who are temporarily lodged in the units.
§ Mrs. ChalkerIt is not possible accurately to identify the separate costs of running resettlement units and reestablishment centres, most of which are on shared sites. In 1979–80 the cost to the Department of running the two services was £4,900,000, net of £400,000 receipts—mainly board and lodging charges. This figure does not include Department of the Environment costs for the two services, which amounted to £1,300,000 in 1979–80. The average per capita cost for people using resettlement units in 1979–80—including costs to the Department of the Environment—is estimated at about £8.50 per day.
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§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what date he intends that the Camberwell resettlement unit will be closed by his Department.
§ Mrs. ChalkerCamberwell resettlement unit must close by December 1985, when the lease on the building expires. The exact date of closure has not yet been decided.
§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total number of individuals afforded temporary board and lodging in each of the 23 resettlement units in England, Scotland and Wales provided directly or indirectly by his Department during the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available; and in the case of the Camberwell resettlement unit, what were the comparable figures for the three previous years.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThis information could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many individuals were provided with accommodation on leaving resettlement units provided directly or indirectly by his Department for persons without a settled way of living, for each of the 23 resettlement units, under the following categories of accommodation: (a) local authority tenancies, (b) housing association tenancies and (c) local authority part III accommodation, during the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.
§ Mrs. ChalkerI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total number of persons referred to the Camberwell resettlement unit during the two months ended 31 December 1980 and 31 March 1981, respectively, from each of the following sources: (a) local authority housing or social services departments, (b) mental hospitals in the Greater London and Home Counties areas, (c) mental handicap hospitals in the Greater London and Home Counties areas, (d) general hospitals in the Greater London and Home Counties areas, (e) probation and aftercare offices and (f) supplementary, benefit local offices.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe information cannot be provided in the form requested, but the following figures are available:
Sources of referral Number of referrals during* months ending 31 December 1980 Number of referrals during* months ending 31 March 1981 Local Authority Housing 0 0 Local Authority Social Services 5 3 Hospitals or readmission from Hospitals† 7 10 Probation Service‡ 4 5 Supplementary Benefit Local Offices 33 32 * These figures relate to activity and not to individuals, that is some men could have been referred on more than one occasion during the relevant period.
† Separate figures relating to hospitals in the Greater London and Home Counties area are not available, nor is it possible to distinguish between referrals from different types of hospital
675W‡ This category does not include discharge to Camberwell Resettlement Unit direct from prison which is arranged by the prison welfare officer. Such referrals cannot be identified from available statistics.