HC Deb 09 April 1986 vol 95 cc119-20W
Mr. Tom Clarke

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the initiatives, apart from those Care in the Community pilot projects funded under

Supplementary Benefit heating additions (£) (rates operative from November of each year)
Type of heating addition 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
Health:
Basic rate 0.95 1.40 1.65 1.90 2.05 2.10 2.20
Middle rate* 1.90 — — — — — —
Higher rate 2.85 3.40 4.05 4.65 5.05 5.20 5.45
Age-related:
Basic rate† 0.95 1.40 1.65 1.90 2.05 2.10 2.20
Higher rate (householders over 85) — — — — — 5.20 5.45
Disabled persons — 3.40 4.05 4.65 5.05 5.20 5.45
Long-term sick and disabled householder — — — — — — 2.20

Notes:

* Combined with the higher rate in November 1980.

† Originally introduced for householders over 75. Age limit reduced to 70 in 1980 and to 65 in 1984.

the 1983 Care in the Community initiative, set up by his Department to advance the development of community care for people suffering from mental illness and people with mental handicap, stating, in each case, the funds allocated for each scheme.

Mr. Hayhoe

Specific initiatives being taken are:

  1. (i) the provision of small, homely units in the community for mentally handicapped children who will continue to need health care (£10½ million);
  2. (ii) matching £1 for £1 money raised by voluntary organisations to provide care in the community for mentally handicapped children coming out of hospital (£l million);
  3. (iii) three projects at Hackney, Salford and Southampton to develop co-ordinated aftercare systems for mentally ill people in the community (£120,000);
  4. (iv) an advisory service, provided by the British Institute of Industrial Therapy, to encourage and support the development of viable and potentially self-financing community industrial therapy units for mentally ill people (£60,000);
  5. (v) a series of development projects to provide services in the community for mentally ill people is being launched currently (of the order of £6 million).

In addition to these central initiatives annual support is given to a number of voluntary organisations which, amongst other things, provide community care facilities for mentally ill and menially handicapped people (£2 million in 1985–86).