§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much capital investment on maternity accommodation has been incurred in Edinburgh and Fife, respectively, in the last 10 years.
§ Mr. MaclayDuring the ten years to 31st March, 1960, £56,209 was spent in Edinburgh and £74,805 in Fife.
§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much capital investment on maternity hospital provision has been incurred in the South-East Hospital Region in each of the last 10 years; and how much of it has gone to West Fife.
§ Mr. MaclayThe figures are as follows:
— South-Eastern Region (total) West Fife £ £ 1950–51 32,988 5,072 1951–52 40,101 5,121 1952–53 40,551 8,788 1953–54 16,592 6,287 1954–55 11,800 4,113 1955–56 7,257 — 1956–57 8,326 1,504 1957–58 24,386 482 1958–59 8,710 93 1959–60 7,544 2,174 Total 198,255 33,634
§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much he estimates he will collect annually in Scotland from the recently announced additional National Health Service charges; and how much of this will be used for capital investment in maternity accommodation.
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§ Mr. MaclayThe additional charges are estimated to yield about Eli million in a full year. During the next few years the rate of investment in new maternity accommodation will be about £500,000 a year. There is, however, no specific relation between these two figures, and the expenditure on maternity accommodation represents only a part of hospital capital expenditure.
§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent it is his policy to ensure that maternity hospital provision shall keep pace with changes in population, both in relation to numbers and to age structure; and how far such a policy has been effective in West Fife.
§ Mr. MaclayIt is my policy that in planning hospital provision of all types, Regional Hospital Boards should make careful assessments of future needs on the best information available, including information about changes in numbers and age structure of the population to be served. In West Fife, while the hospital confinement rate has reached the proportions recommended by the Montgomery Report, more ante-natal beds and other facilities are still required to implement its recommendations fully.