§ Mr. IrvingTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what further consideration he has given to the recommendation of the Select Committee on Social Services in its Second Report on community care, Session 1984–85, that the lessons from other countries of hasty change in closing down one set of facilities before firmly established alternatives exist need further examination; and if he will identify what action has been taken since the publication of the Government's response to that report, Cmnd. 9674.
§ Mr. NewtonProfessional and other staff have continued to study a wide range of research and other reports fom other countries, which contain a number of useful lessons for ourselves. Our response to the Select Committee report clearly affirmed the view that, in the words of the policy paper attached to the response and circulated to health authorities, "New facilities must be available before old facilities are dispensed with." Since that time, after studying reports from other countries, we have funded research studies designed to demonstrate whether models of community care which have been found beneficial in those countries can be successful here.