asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list local authorities in rank order according to the amount they spend per 1,000 population on welfare services for the elderly.(2) if he will list local authorities in rank order according to the amount they spend on meals served to the elderly, expressed as net expenditure per 1,000 population over 65 years of age.

No. The information would be misleading not only because all expenditure on the welfare of the elderly cannot be separately identified but also because local authorities provide services for the elderly in differing ways.