§ Earl Russellasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the costs to local authorities of help provided under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 to those who fail the habitual residence test; whether these costs fall disproportionately on particular local authorities; and whether they are reflected in those authorities' standard spending assessments.
§ Baroness CumberlegeThe information requested is not collected centrally, but the Government are not aware of a significant problem.
Standard spending assessments are intended to reflect general need for personal social services expenditure, through the use of broad indicators of potential demand.