§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the average weekly allowance paid by local authorities to long-term foster carers, for each year since 1979;
(2) what was the average weekly allowance paid by local authorities to short-term foster carers, for each year since 1979.
§ Mrs. CurrieInformation on the average weekly allowance paid by local authorities to foster parents is not available centrally, nor is information that distinguishes the average weekly cost of boarding out children placed with short-term foster parents from the average weekly cost of boarding out children placed with long-term foster parents.
Details of the average weekly cost per child in care boarded by local authorities in England, based on net current expenditure are given in the table.
Revalued average cost per child per week1 Average cost per child per week Year £p £p 1978–79 16.79 33.23 1979–80 19.86 33.33 1980–81 24.36 33.99 1981–82 29.83 37.04 1982–83 35.45 41.08 1983–84 40.15 44.13 1984–85 44.72 47.24 21985–86 50.22 50.22 1 Revalued to 1985–86 prices using Personal Social Services pay and prices indicator. 2 Provisional.