§ 105. Mr. Sorensenasked the Minister of Health what increase has been secured in accommodation for mental defectives during the past 12 months; to what extent are mental hospitals becoming overcrowded; and to what extent the number of nurses, trained and training, respectively, has increased during the past 12 months.
§ Mr. BevanDuring the past 12 months the accommodation for mental defectives has increased by 177 beds; on 1st January, 1946, the latest date for which figures are available, mental hospitals were overcrowded to the extent of 13,176 patients, or 11.5 per cent. of the total accommodation; the number of nursing staff employed in mental hospitals and mental deficiency institutions has increased by 620 during the 12 months ended the 3oth June, 1946, bringing the total to 25,840 just over half of whom are fully trained.