§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many county council homes for the elderly there are in each of the counties of Wales.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettThe information requested is shown in the table:
County Number of homes for elderly people1 Clwyd 20 Dyfed 29 Gwent 24 Gwynedd 27 Mid Glamorgan 34 Powys 14 South Glamorgan 21 West Glamorgan 21 Wales 190 1 As at 31 March 1990.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what policy initiatives he proposes for the running of county council homes for the elderly in Wales.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettMy right hon. Friend's proposals for the further improvement of services for elderly people in Wales is set out in chapter 11 of the White Paper "Caring for People—Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond" (Cm 849). As regards county council-run homes, the White Paper makes it clear that we intend that their standard should be at least on a par with those expected by county councils of the private and voluntary sectors, and that those standards should be monitored and controlled by the inspection units which authorities are required to set up by 1 April 1991. In drawing up their plans for social care, which are to be published by 1 April 1992, social services authorities will need to review, in the light of their assessment of local needs and circumstances, the extent and nature of the residential care they provide. They will need to do this in terms of the balance with wider patterns of domiciliary and day care and also with regard to the need to maximise choice from a variety of sources of care.