asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on future spending in the area of mental health after-care.

Our long-term strategy for the development of after-care services for the mentally ill and mentally handicapped is set out in the White Papers "Better Services for the Mentally Ill" (Cmnd. 6233) and "Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped" (Cmnd. 4683). It is our policy that an increasing proportion of health and social services expenditure should be devoted to mental health services and, in particular, to those services which are needed for effective after-care. Health and local authorities have been advised of the Government's priorities in this field and asked to take them into account in planning their expenditure.