To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on how many occasions section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948 was invoked by each local authority in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available;(2) what steps his Department is taking to monitor the use by local authorities of section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948;(3) what guidance he issues to local authorities in respect of their responsibilities under section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948.

Information about the use made by local authorities of section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948 is not collected centrally. This is a matter for local authorities and the courts and no central guidance has been issued.