§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures he intends to introduce to meet the increase in mental illness in recent years.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergEvidence available does not suggest any recent increase in mental illness generally. But 257W very old people are particularly liable to psychiatric disorders, so measures are needed to expand, as well as improve, relevant services to meet the needs of the larger numbers expected in the next 20 years in the over-75 age groups. I set out in my reply of 21 October to the hon. Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones)—[Vol. 10, c. 156–7]—a number of measures already in hand to improve the position for elderly psychiatric patients.