§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many places there are in local authority homes and hostels for mentally ill and mentally handicapped people.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe Department's booklets "Homes and Hostels for the Mentally Ill and the Mentally Handicapped", copies of which have been placed in the Library, give the number of places provided for mentally ill and mentally handicapped people in homes and hostels provided by local authority social services departments at 31 March each year. The latest available figures, for 31 March 1985, are 4,363 places for mentally ill people and 15,152 places for mentally handicapped people.
The hon. Member will be aware that the great majority of mentally ill people who are living in the community live in ordinary family homes. Others have their home in housing, including group homes, provided by local authority housing departments. We cannot give figures as these are not identified in central statistics. Mentally handicapped people similarly live in a range of alternative forms of housing, including small NHS units in the community.