§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the outcome of the meeting at which the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children saw the Under-Secretary of State on 13 January to discuss the request for additional financial assistance to enable the society to cope with the problems of increased child abuse, rising costs and the effects of cutbacks in local authority spending; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FowlerFollowing the NSPCC's meeting with my noble Friend, I met the director of the society on 15 January and told him that a grant of £450, 000 had been awarded to the society over the next three years. The Government greatly value the society's work and this grant should help it to overcome its present financial difficulties.
The right hon. Gentleman should note that local authority expenditure on personal social services has, in fact, increased in real terms by over 7 per cent. since 1978–79.