Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people with (a) autism, (b) learning difficulties and (c) mental health challenges who are placed in residential provision out of area; and what steps he is taking to help ensure that placements are local.

No estimate has been made. Under the Care Act, local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the care and support needs of their local population. Care Quality Commission assessments of local authorities’ delivery of their Care Act duties, which went live from 1 April 2023, will examine how well local authorities work with local people to understand their needs, and the extent to which this leads to local populations having access to a diverse range of high quality, sustainable, person-centred care and support services that meet their needs.