§ 27. Mr. J. Langford-Holtasked the Minister of Health how many hospital beds were vacant on 1st January, 1949.
§ Mr. BevanOn 31st December, 1948, there were:
Beds, staffed and occupied, 398,229; beds, staffed and unoccupied, 56,215; beds, unstaffed, 52,924.
§ Colonel Stoddart-ScottWill the Minister say how it is that there are 52,000 beds unstaffed at the present time when we have 35,000 more trained nurses in the United Kingdom than we had in 1938?
§ Mr. BevanIt is because we have much more hospital accommodation, many more patients in hospitals and many more people ready to take advantage of hospital facilities.