§ Mr. SykesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the number of residential homes providing care in North Yorkshire owned(a) privately and (b) by the county council; [34499]
(2) what percentage of referrals by North Yorkshire county council are to council-owned residential homes owned by that council. [34500]
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§ Mr. BowisIn North Yorkshire at 31 March 1994, there were 307 residential care homes owned by the private sector, 66 by the voluntary sector and 70 by the local authority, excluding local authority children's homes.
I understand that, in the financial year to 31 March 1995, North Yorkshire county council arranged 577 permanent admissions to residential care homes. Of these, 245, or 42 per cent., were to local authority residential homes. A further 668 placements were in independent sector nursing homes. In the period 1 January to 31 March 1994, the latest for which central information is available, 76 per cent. of short stay admissions of such residents were to homes owned by the local authority.
§ Mr. SykesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the economic impact on the independent sector of referrals by North Yorkshire county council to residential homes owned by that council. [34503]
§ Mr. BowisMy Department does not collect such information but we have made it clear, through conditions on the special transitional grant, that the bulk of the resources transferred to local authorities for their new community care responsibilities must be spent in the independent sector.