§ 5. Mr. M. Lindsayasked the Minister of Health how many tuberculosis beds there are in the United Kingdom; and whether he has been able to make an assessment of the number of patients awaiting admission to sanatoria.
§ Mr. BevanOn the latest figures available for England and Wales there are approximately 33,000 tuberculosis beds, and a waiting list of about 9,000. I am informed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State that the figures for Scotland are 6,554 and 2,721 respectively.
§ 6. Mr. M. Lindsayasked the Minister of Health what improvement he expects in the number of tuberculosis beds in the United Kingdom during the next 12 months.
§ Mr. BevanThis will depend on how far we can make good the shortage of nurses. In the past year there has been an increase of about 12 per cent. in tuberculosis nurses, and I hope our recruiting efforts will continue to effect a steady improvement.