asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if his Department monitors the level of provision for the disabled by individual local authorities.

Returns are made to the Department, by each local authority, on service provision as follows:

(i) residential care,

(a) numbers of supported residents;

(b) numbers of homes and places both local authority and voluntary and private;

(c) for the physically handicapped only, the numbers of residents in individual homes, both local authority and voluntary and private.

(ii) day care,

(a) the number of centres (including adult training centres) and places;

(b) the number of special care units and places for the mentally handicapped.

(iii) domiciliary care,

(a) the number of cases receiving aids and adaptations under section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.

Levels of provision vary from place to place, in the light of local circumstances, and it is for local authorities to decide what services are required to meet the needs of disabled people in their area.