§ 56. Mr. Lomasasked the Minister of Health whether he has completed his review of his policy on pay beds; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonNot yet, but I will make a statement as soon as possible.
§ Mr. LomasWill my right hon. Friend bear in mind in the course of his consideration of the review of pay beds that according to figures issued in the Annual Report of the Ministry of Health for 1964 there was an average daily number of 5,449 Section 5 pay beds available and in the course of the year the average daily number in use was only 2,892? Is it not wrong that only 53 per cent. of the pay beds should be used, and does he not think that he should do away with these pay beds when we have a waiting list of almost half a million people?
§ Mr. RobinsonI am certainly aware of the statistics which my hon. Friend quotes from my Department's Annual Report. I can only tell him that these were among the considerations which led me to undertake the current review.