§ LORD TAYLORMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government the number of patients in mental hospitals at the end of 1958 and the end of 1960 (or the nearest date thereto) in each of the following categories:—certified and temporary; voluntary and informal.]
§ LORD NEWTONMy Lords, in designated mental hospitals in England and Wales there were 77,002 certified and temporary patients on the 31st December, 1958, and 51,432 on the 31st December, 1959. In the same hospitals there were 61,120 voluntary and informal patients at the end of 1958 and 81,722 at the end of 1959. During 1960, the categories of patients were being changed in accordance with the provisions of the Mental Health Act, 1959.
§ LORD TAYLORMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that encouraging Answer, and I hope that the process of 962 de-designation and re-allocation will be speeded up, so that we may have a further change. I think the improvement is about 25,000 in each case, and I hope that we may see a steady increase in de-certification in the months and years ahead.
§ LORD NEWTONMy Lords, the decrease in the number of certified and temporary patients is 25,570, and the increase in voluntary and informal 20,602.