§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the present incidence of child abuse; and what steps are being taken to make estimates of the incidence of child abuse more widely available.
§ Mr. WhitneyLocal authorities which have the responsibility for protecting children from abuse keep records of the number of child victims in their area, but these are not collected centrally. The Department has issued guidance on the records that local authorities should keep, and will be reviewing that guidance through a consultative paper, on the procedures used to handle such cases, which should be issued early in the new year.