§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much his Department gives annually to organisations dedicated to improving the welfare of people who are incontinent, and to organisations attempting to provide incontinent people with better aids and more modern treatments.
§ Mr. RossiA grant of £2,500 was made to the Newcastle upon Tyne Council for the Disabled in 1978–79 for a project to determine the need for an incontinence advisory service for the north of England. Need was established and a grant of £3,500 was made in 1980–81 towards the cost of establishing the service. No further requests for funds have been received.
Generally, support is given to various organisations working on behalf of disabled and elderly people among whom incontinence may be a problem. Among those, the Disabled Living Foundation receives an annual grant part of which is specifically in respect of its Incontinence Advisory Service, which provides information and advice to those affected by incontinence, their families and concerned professionals. The DLF also organises studies into relevant aids and equipment and services available in the home.
It is left to the DLF to allocate its grant amongst those of its services which the Department supports and it has allocated the following sums to incontinence in recent years.
£ 1978–79 4,600 1979–80 4,500 1980–81 11,000 1981–82 17,000