asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many adolescents there are in care at the present time; and how many there were in 1975 and 1974, respectively.

I regret that this information is not available. The number of children in care in England of compulsory school age and over compulsory school age at 31st March each year is as follows:

			Thousands
	1974	1975	1976*
Compulsory school age	60·7	63·7	64·9
Over compulsory age	19·5	19·0	19·1
* Provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many care homes there are in the United Kingdom in 1976; and how many there were in 1975 and 1974, respectively.

The number of community homes—excluding hostels—catering for children and young persons in England and Wales as at 31st March in each year, in terms of Section 36 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969, is as follows:

	1974	1975	1976
Controlled or maintained by local authorities.	2,060	2,099	2,184
Assisted voluntary homes	*	187	†
* Not collected.
† Not yet available.

The number of other children's homes run by voluntary organisations and registered under section 29 of the Childrens Act 1948 is as follows—

1974	1975	1976
220	227	286

For Scotland and Northern Ireland residential accommodation for children and young persons is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average cost per head of keeping (a) a boy in care and (b) a girl in care in 1976.

Separate information about the cost of keeping a boy and a girl in care is not available centrally. The provisional average weekly cost of keeping a child in care in England during the 1975–76 financial year was £32. This figure does not include administration and field social work costs which cannot be allocated to specific services, and no account has been taken of parental contributions.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the highest amount paid to keep (a) a boy in care and (b) a girl in care in the United Kingdom in 1976.

I regret that information is not available but I will write to my hon. Friend.