HC Deb 16 January 1985 vol 71 cc164-5W
Mr. Dixon

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the numbers of persons being cared for in residential homes in each year since 1979 up to the latest figures available.

Mr. John Patten

Complete information in the form requested is no longer available centrally. The available information for the years 1979 to 1984 is given in the table. Further details are given in the Department's publications "Residential Accommodation for the Elderly and for Younger Physically Handicapped People" and "Home and Hostels for the Mentally Ill and Mentally Handicapped", copies of which are held in the Library.

Statutory and registered homes and hostels
Homes for the Elderly and Disabled Homes for the Mentally Disordered
As at 31 March Number of places Number of residents Number of places Number of residents
1979 179,502 165,095 20,761 17,868
1980 184,824 169,012 21,674 18,765

Homes for the Elderly and Disabled Homes for the Mentally Disordered
As at 31 March Number of places Number of residents Number of places Number of residents
1981 191,055 173,959 * na
1982 196,582 178,295 * na
1983 205,286 185,547 25,321 na
1984† 217,744 193,996 26,996 na
na No longer available.
* Data available but not reliable.
† Provisional data.

Mr. Dixon

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how much money has been spent by his Department on residential homes in each year since 1979 up to the latest figures available (a) nationally, (b) in the Tyne and Wear county area and (c) in the south Tyneside district area;

(2) what is the total amount of money spent by his Department on personal social services in each year since 1979 up to the latest available figures.

Mr. Patten

Local authorities are the principal providers of personal social services. Apart from limited sums, spent mainly on social work training, amounting to around £10 million in 1983–84, the Department does not undertake spending itself. Central Government support for local authority spending is principally through the block grant which is not hypothecated to individual services.

Net current expenditure by local authorities on the personal social services is as follows:

£ million cash
England Tyne and Wear South Tyneside
All personal Social Services Residential Homes Residential Homes Residential Homes
1978–79 1,062 487 1.9 14.6
1979–80 1,305 605 2.3 18.8
1980–81 1,616 750 3.0 23.0
1981–82 1,792 814 3.4 24.1
1982–83 1,967 871 3.5 25.0
1983–84 2,142 915 3.7 26.7

Notes:

  1. 1 1983–84 England figures are provisional.
  2. 2 The main client groups covered by the residential homes figures are the elderly, children, younger physically disabled, mentally handicapped and mentally ill.

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