§ Mrs. Ann Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what funds were made available to the Brook Advisory Centres by his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and for what purposes these funds are intended; (2) whether he has any plans to increase the level of funding to the Brook Advisory Centres in the immediate future; (3) what funding was made available to the Brook Advisory Centres by local health authorities in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
106W
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeIn the financial years 1979–80 and 1980–81 our Department's grant was £21,000, and in the years 1981–82 to 1983–84 it averaged £29.000. The grants were made to help meet the organisation's central office administration costs. In the financial years 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1981–82 grants to Brook Advisory Centres by local health authorities totalled £590,221, £697,981 and £792,394 respectively. Total figures for such grants made in earlier years are not available, and figures for the financial years 1982–83 and 1983–84 are not yet available.
We are considering an application for a further departmental grant. It is for health authorities to decide on the level of continued funding for the local centres.