§ Mr. GregoryTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) of 19 February,Official Report, column 90, what factors caused the increase in hospital bed provision for old age psychiatry in Wales.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettIn 1989 the Royal College of Psychiatrists formally recognised the psychiatry of old age as a separate sub-specialty. Consequently, consultants have been appointed to sub-specialist posts and a significant proportion of beds which prior to 1 April 1989 were classified generally under "mental illness" have been designated as "old age psychiatry" beds. In addition, there has been an underlying growth in the number of people over 75 cared for in mental illness hospitals, reflecting the increasing number of very elderly people in the population at large.