§ Mr. Pitmanasked the Minister of Health what is the range of cost per annum in institutions and in mental hospitals for the care of the aged poor.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI am not clear of whom my hon. Friend is thinking in referring to the "aged poor" or what institutions he has in mind.
As regard homes provided by local authorities under Part III of the National Assistance Act, 1948, while records of the range of cost are not obtained centrally, the average annual cost of maintaining persons in these homes as shown in the Welfare Service Statistics, 1957–58, published by the Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants and the Society of County Treasurers for each local authority area, varies between £180 and £427.
As regards hospitals, the following table gives information about the annual net cost in 1957–58 of maintaining an in-patient in hospitals classified as hospitals for the treatment of the chronic sick or the mentally ill in England and Wales:
— Lowest Cost Highest Cost Average Cost £ £ £ Chronic Sick Hospitals 218 968* 494 Mental Illness Hospitals 179 974 336 * This figure takes no account of certain hospitals the use of which changed in the course of 1957–58.