§ 20. Mr. C. EDWARDS(for Mr. DAVID GRENFELL) asked the Minister of Health the items included in the Board of Control's estimate of £500 as the capital cost of providing a bed in a mental hospital; what new buildings have been erected in the past year under their supervision; and what further buildings are in contemplation?
Sir H. YOUNGAs the answer is somewhat long and involves a number of figures, I propose, with the hon. Member's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT
§ Following is the answer:
§ The estimate of £500 was made in 1931, and I am advised that the comparable figure to-day would he about £440. The figure was for a bed in a complete new mental hospital, and included a proportion of the estimated initial cost of the following items: (a) patients' residential accommodation; (b) ancillary premises such as church, workshops, recreation hall, laundry, stores, kitchens, offices, power station; (c) accommodation for residential staff; (d) engineering services for heating, lighting, drainage and water supply and (e) roads and laying out of grounds. It. did not cover cost of land or furnishing. Figures are not available for the new buildings erected in 1932, and I am not in a position to say what further buildings are in contemplation. In 1932, the Board of Control approved plans for the provision of 979 beds, and during the first six months of the present year, plans for 999 beds, and they have under consideration plans for approximately another 3,000 beds. These schemes are, however, with very few exceptions, for additions or alterations to existing mental hospitals, and the cost will not approach the sum of £500 per bed.
1245§ 21. Mr. C. EDWARDS(for Mr. D. GRENFELL) asked the Minister of Health if he will give an estimate of the annual cost of the present lunacy system, distinguishing what falls upon the rates from what is borne by the State; the total cost of the Board of Control, including the total of the salaries of commissioners, sub-commissioners, inspectors, and sub-ordinate officials; and the total expended on the salaries of superintendents and their assistants and attendants, with the wages of all employés in public mental hospitals, together with the annual coat of the maintenance of the inmates?
Sir H. YOUNGAs the answer is some what long and involves a number of figures I propose, with the hon. Member's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ In reply to the first part of the question, the net expenditure of local authorities in England and Wales on the lunacy service, falling on public funds in 1930–31, the latest year for which complete figures are available, was 27,133,403. The cost of the lunacy service, in common with that of other services, is defrayed partly out of rates and partly out of the Exchequer grants under the Local Act, 1929, but as these grants cannot be allocated to particular services the amount falling on rates for the lunacy service cannot be stated. In reply to the second part of the question, the total cost of the Board of Control for the year ended 31st March, 1932, was £139,533. Details will be found in the Civil Appropriation Accounts for 1931 (Class V, Vote 2). This figure includes expenditure in respect of the board's functions under the Mental Deficiency Acts. With regard to the last part of the question, the total cost of maintenance of the patients in public mental hospitals in England and Wales for the year ended 31st March, 1932, was £6,921,692, including £3,103,820 in respect of salaries and wages of all staff in the hospitals.