Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the total number of beds in (a) local authority, (b) voluntary and (c) private old people's homes each year since 1960, and the ratio per 100 of these totals to the number of persons of pensionable age in each of these years.
Mr. John PattenInformation in the form requested has not been collected over the period in question, but the numbers of residents aged 65 and over in residential homes in England were as follows:
This publication, which does not identify the statutory source of the service provision, is placed in the Library of the House.