§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has about practice of local authorities with regard to the housing of elderly and disabled people in groups of four per unit, with two people to a room.
§ Mr. TraceyI have been asked to reply.
We have asked local authorities to concentrate their housing resources on those with special needs, including elderly and disabled people. They provide a wide range of accommodation for such people, from ordinary houses and flats to specialised dwellings, grouped schemes and residential homes. It is for each authority to decide what facilities to offer, based on its judgment of local needs and available resources. Neither my Department nor the
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Catering Domestic/Cleaning Laundry Total expenditure Private contracts Total expenditure Private contracts Total expenditure Private contracts Health Districts £ £ Percentage of total Difference in percentage from 1984–85 £ £ Percentage of total Difference in percentage from 1984–85 £ £ Percentage of total Difference in percentage from 1984–85 Northern Region Hartlepool 580,320 — — — 1,011,928 13,381 1.32 0.02 126,473 — — 20.01 North Tees 1,009,217 — — — 1,189,334 28,428 2.39 2.27 129,533 633 0.49 20.11 South Tees 2,182,833 — — — 2,397,324 71,393 2.98 1.75 291,282 2,466 0.85 34.07 East Cumbria 1,219,803 — — — 1,479,566 13,637 0.92 20.19 210,446 2,976 1.41 20.46 South Cumbria 1,011,453 — — — 909,129 4,849 0.53 20.02 232,491 173,038 74.43 66.41 West Cumbria 1,068,449 — — 20.23 1,000,564 6,225 0.62 20.92 154,060 421 0.27 20.13 Darlington 1,219,199 — — — 1,198,487 8,827 0.74 20.07 215,001 — — — Durham 946,488 — — — 1,148,689 11,247 0.98 0.19 154,493 4,591 2.97 211.08 North West Durham 655,406 — — — 839,678 5,380 0.64 0.04 114,038 60 0.05 — South West Durham 1,419,203 — — — 1,849,159 7,468 0.40 20.14 275,736 1,197 0.43 0.30 Northumberland 3,024,998 — — — 2,872,755 9,484 0.33 0.04 391,832 4,297 1.10 0.96 Gateshead 1,278,162 — — — 1,721,926 22,115 1.28 20.06 78,882 — — 20.08 Newcastle upon Tyne 3,732,705 38 — 20.04 4,637,005 71,707 1.55 0.68 633,140 117,559 18.57 20.91 North Tyneside 977,499 — — — 1,170,932 4,955 0.42 20.06 108,764 2,982 2.74 0.71 South Tyneside 893,532 — — — 1,198,791 19,482 1.63 20.38 190,704 1,627 0.85 0.46 Sunderland 2,387,291 18,087 0.76 0.72 2,937,638 56,832 1.93 1.44 512,688 9,529 1.86 1.86 Regional Health Authority 41,740 15,923 38.12 30.26 120,140 37,641 31.33 28.84 10,240 10,240 100.00 — Regional Total 23,648,298 34,048 0.14 0.11 27,683,045 393,051 1.42 0.57 3,829,803 331,616 8.66 3.41 Yorkshire Region Hull 1,889,229 — — — 2,781,638 157,708 5.67 4.02 324,489 13,548 4.18 0.12 East Yorkshire 1,698,472 — — — 1,756,900 97,251 5.54 4.76 253,479 87,303 34.44 25.29 Grimsby 978,775 — — — 1,308,016 13,158 1.01 0.09 125,135 1,721 1.38 20.99 Scunthorpe 860,677 — — — 1,320,246 13,528 1.02 20.13 220,340 1,269 0.58 20.12 Northallerton 452,671 23,239 5.13 0.83 501,959 11,072 2.21 0.16 61,589 16,328 26.51 25.57 York 2,142,108 — — — 2,261,206 103,789 4.59 3.94 299,065 11,842 3.96 20.34 Department of Health and Social Security requires local authorities to provide information to this level of detail in respect of its housing or residential care provision.