Mr. Rostron Duckworthasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the extreme difficulty experienced by many officers' wives in obtaining accommodation for their confinement; and whether he can take any steps to increase such accommodation?
§ Mr. WillinkMy attention has been called to difficulty experienced in obtaining accommodation for confinement in some parts of the country though not specially on the part of officers' wives. The number of maternity beds in the country as a whole has been increased by some992W 4,600 since the war began, and I am doing what is possible, in view of the shortages of labour and materials, to encourage further provision.