§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many beds there are in National Health Service hospitals for the treatment of drug addiction; and what proposals he has for increasing this number in view of the increase in the number of drug addicts.
§ Sir George YoungNinety-seven beds were set aside for the treatment of drug addiction and 145 for alcohol or drug addiction in special units in NHS hospitals in England in 1979. Information is not available centrally about the extent to which other NHS hospitals provide additional beds when necessary.
The allocation of beds in NHS hospitals between the specialty users is a matter for the local health authorities to determine. I am sure that they will continue to take note of any change in local needs in respect of this or any other specialty.