§ Mr. David AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much is made available via the Liverpool standard spending assessment per child at risk; and what are the figures for(a) Birmingham, (b) Manchester, (c) Wandsworth, (d) Westminster and (e) the English average. [18949]
§ Mr. BowisThe figures for the children's social services standard spending assessment per child at risk for 1995–96 are as follows:
- England: £15,548
- Liverpool: £13,622
- Birmingham: £17,285
1211 - Manchester: £15,828
- Wandsworth: £27,369
- Westminster: £31,293
The variation in the figure mainly reflects the variation in the proportion of residents under 18 years in non-white ethnic groups in each of the authorities.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the work that she has commissioned into the children's social services standard spending assessments to be completed; if it will be ready for incorporation into the 1996–97 provisional standard spending assessments settlement; how many people are working on the study; if its findings will be retrospective; and what particular consideration is being given to the Liverpool children's social services standard spending assessments. [18933]
§ Mr. BowisSome exploratory work has been commissioned and shall be completed in May. The timing of any further research depends on the findings of the exploratory work but it is not expected that the research will affect standard spending assessments for 1996–97. One person is currently working part-time on the research. Any findings will not be applied retrospectively. No particular consideration is being given to any single local authority's children's social services standard spending assessment.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what account she takes of the economic index in determining Liverpool's social services standard spending assessment; what significance she attaches to ethnicity in determining the unit cost in relation to social services care; and what weight is given to economic factors in comparison to ethnicity in deciding the social services standard spending assessment. [18948]
§ Mr. BowisNeither the economic index nor any general economic factors are used in the calculation of social services standard spending assessments. An ethnicity factor is included as it has been shown to be related to the unit cost of children's services.