§ Mr. Roweasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the expenditure per head of population aged 75 years and over in 1984–85 on (a) local authority home care services and (b) meals on wheels, expressed as a proportion of expenditure on these services per head of those aged 75 years and over in 1978–79;
(2) what has been the increase in each year since 1979, expressed in index form using 1979 as the base year of expenditure in real terms on (a) home helps and (b) meals served through lunch clubs and meals on wheels, to people aged 75 years and over.
(3) what has been the change in (a) the number of home help hours delivered to people aged 75 years and over, and (b) the number of meals served through lunch clubs and meals on wheels to those aged 75 years and over, in each year over the period from 1979 to the latest year for which figures are available, expressed in index form and using 1979 as the base year;
§ Mr. WhitneyIt is not possible to provide the analyses requested in respect of persons over 75 on the basis of centrally held information about local authority home help and meal-on-wheels services.
The information available is set out in the "Personal Social Services Statistics Actuals" published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (columns 196–200 and 213–231 in the volume for 1984–85) copies of which are in the Library.
§ Mr. Roweasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the increase in the number of people in Great Britain aged over 75 years every year since 1979 expressed in index form using 1979 as the base year.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe information requested is as follows:
Estimated resident population of Great Britain aged 75 and over Mid-year Numbers Index (1979=100) 1979 3,038,000 100 1980 3,123,600 103 1981 3,209,500 106 1982 3,289,100 108 1983 3,376,400 111 1984 3,465,900 114 1985 3,543,000 117