§ Mr. Bryan Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many hospital beds will be withdrawn in the North-West Thames area as a result of the reduction in proposed expenditure in the health services contained in the 1976 and 1977 Public Expenditure White Papers;
(2) what is the number of hospital beds which will be withdrawn in the North-East Thames area, as a result of the reduction in proposed expenditure on health services contained in the 1976 and 1977 Public Expenditure White Papers.
§ Mr. MoyleThe Public Expenditure White Papers to which my hon. Friend refers allow increases not reductions in actual current expenditure compared with preceding years. The North-West and North-East Thames Regions have received modest increases in their revenue allocations in the current financial year. Any closures or changes of use of beds which they may propose flow either from the replacement of existing beds by new provision or from the need to redeploy resources within the regions concerned both to improve the scale of provision for neglected services—e.g., the elderly, mentally ill, mentally handicapped—and 475W progressively to reduce inequalities in the services provided in different localities.