Mr. William O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make a statement on the future contribution by local authority housing in meeting the Government's community care objectives;
(2) what plans he has to allow local authority housing departments to be more involved with the provision of community care; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesAdvice to local housing authorities on their role in community care is contained in my Department's circular 10/92 "Housing and Community Care", issued jointly with the Department of Health. The two Departments work closely together to ensure that housing is fully integrated into community care.
Local authorities should take account of the need for housing and its availability in preparing their local housing strategies and community care plans. I expect authorities' housing strategy statements to set out how they approach their responsibilities under community care and the way in which they co-operate with other agencies in the planning and delivery of services.