§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has studied the report of the working party from the National Institute for Social Work published on 24 September 1981 on a boarding house charter; and if he intends to implement any of its proposals.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThis is an interesting and helpful report and I am grateful to the working party and its chairman, Mr. David Hobman for all their work. Many of the recommendations are for action to be taken by the proprietors of the boarding houses themselves, in some cases with the assistance of local authority social services departments. There are however some recommendations specifically for the Department, and these are being taken into account in preparing a consultative document to be issued shortly on changes in the registration of residential homes, and in the current review of the guidance to Department of Health and Social Security staff about supplementary benefit arrangements for residents.