§ 34. Mr. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the continued and growing dissatisfaction in Fife concerning the provision of hospital beds of all kinds; and if he will take immediate steps to ensure that this county is treated on the same basis as all others in this matter.
§ Mr. MaclayThe hon. Gentleman will realise, that in the past Fife relied mainly for its general hospital beds on Edinburgh and Dundee. But capital expenditure on hospitals in Fife itself is now well above the average level for Scotland as a whole.
§ Mr. HamiltonIs the Minister aware that Fife is by no means satisfied with the answer that is continually given that it must depend on Dundee and Edinburgh for its hospital facilities? Is the Secretary of State not shaken out of his complacency by the figures which he himself supplied to every Member of Parliament representing Fife constituencies? People are getting more and more alarmed about the position.
§ Mr. MaclayThe hon. Member will realise from my original reply that I am not suggesting that Fife should be dependent on Edinburgh and Dundee, because a big share of capital investment is now going into Fife. Fife is getting £691 per thousand of the population as against £486 per thousand of the population in Scotland as a whole. This represents a very fair share.