§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the percentage of occupied beds in psychiatric hospitals;
(2) why unoccupied beds in psychiatric wards cannot be used for other purposes.
§ Dr. John Dunwoody90 per cent. of available beds in psychiatric hospitals are occupied: the figures for mental illness and subnormality are 88 per cent. and 93 per cent. respectively. Some reserve of beds is necessary to allow for emergencies and fluctuations in admission rate. Psychiatric hospitals are usually unsuitable in design and location for other purposes.