§ Mr. A. T. DAVIESasked the Minister of Pensions whether he> is aware that, in the case of Service patients, the Report of the Departmental Committee of Inquiry into the machinery of administration of the Ministry of Pensions specially stated that in the matter of food county and county borough asylums will not compare favourably with Ministry hospitals, and that the same Report recommended that ex-service wings should be provided at such asylums as if the separate wing were a military hospital; what measures have been taken to meet these recommendations, dated January, 1921; and what would be the estimated annual expense of retransferring and maintaining mentally afflicted patients recently transferred from the Ministry of Pensions to the Poor Law guardians?
1774W
§ Major TRYONI understand that, since the date of the Report of the Departmental Committee, there has been a very satisfactory improvement in the quality of the food supplied to patients in these asylums. With regard to the reservation of separate wings of asylums for Service patients, I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement which I made in the Debate in this House on the 29th November. I am not in a position to answer the last part of the question until I know the precise number of cases involved.