§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received, and from whom, concerning Government financial assistance for hearing-impaired individuals in the purchase of special smoke alarms for the home.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonMy right hon. Friend received one representation from Mr. Colin Collie, Strathblane, Glasgow about the cost of smoke alarms for the deaf and hard of hearing. Several hon. Members also brought the points made by Mr. Collie to my right hon. Friend's attention. The Scottish Office Home and Health Department advised Mr. Collie and the hon. Members concerned that local authority powers in the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 could extend to the provision of smoke detection systems subject to assessment being made of an individual's needs, and to the authority determining its own priorities and allocating the resources available as it sees fit.