§ 21. Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health whether he will take steps to bring the Rampton and Moss Side Hospitals into line with all other hospitals under the National Health Scheme by discontinuing the need for the nursing staffs to sign a declaration under the Official Secrets Act.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithNo, Sir. I would refer to my reply of 3rd March to the supplementary question of the hon. Member for Erith and Crayford (Mr. Dodds).
§ Mr. DoddsDoes the right hon. and learned Gentleman deny that, in a Written Answer to a Question on 17th February, he said that Moss Side and Rampton are the only two hospitals under the National Health Service where the Official Secrets Act declaration has to be given? Would he not, therefore, be honest with the House and say that it is useful to have this secrecy with regard to these two so-called hospitals, and, if not, why cannot they be brought into line with the others?
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI am completely honest with the House and I am trying hard to get this false point out of the hon. Gentleman's mind. It is true that those are the only two hospitals under the National Health Service where this 3 declaration applies, because they are the only hospitals within the National Health Service whose staffs are civil servants. It also applies in the case of Broadmoor and the war pensioner hospitals, because their staffs are also civil servants, but they are not within the National Health Service.
§ 41. Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health, in view of the fact that only seven patients at Rampton Mental Hospital were discharged and 56 transferred to other mental hospitals during the 1956–57 financial year at a cost of approximately £7,500 per patient, if he will cause an investigation to be held with a view to improving this state of affairs.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithNo, Sir. The cost per patient given in the Question is fallacious, since the true cost, based on 1,121 patients, is £7 12s. 2d. per week.
§ Mr. DoddsBut did not the Minister give the answer in his Written Answer when he said that during the financial year the cost was half a million pounds and that the number of patients discharged was 63? If he works that out he will find that the cost for the year is £7,500, and does he not appreciate that the length of detention at Rampton, where three-quarters of the patients have never been before the courts yet and have to live with criminals, makes Dartmoor look like a short-term local gaol?
§ Mr. Walker-SmithNo, Sir. I think that in the last part of his supplementary question the hon. Gentleman is giving way again to the temptation of using over-colourful language in these matters. On the first and more serious part of his supplementary question, it is not possible or appropriate to divorce the cost of the patients discharged and transferred from Rampton from the cost of the patients who are still receiving their treatment there.
§ Mr. DoddsOwing to the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I give notice that I will raise the matter on the Adjournment.