§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to extend the grant made available to care for the mentally ill, to cover mentally handicapped people in general.
§ Mr. DorrellThe specific mental illness grant was introduced because, in comparison with other client groups, local authorities had not been able to give sufficient priority to the mentally ill. In contrast, local authority expenditure on services for mentally handicapped people has been rising steadily in real terms over a sustained period, increasing by 72 per cent. between 1979–80 and 1988–89 to £358 million.