§ Mr. Alexander Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many geriatric beds are available in the Lanarkshire area, and what steps he is taking to increase the number available.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellAt the last convenient date there were 1,053 geriatric beds available under the control of the Coatbridge, Motherwell and South Lanarkshire boards of management. When related to the number of old people in the area, this is in excess of the current planning target for the provision of geriatric beds. I expect, therefore, that the hospital authorities will concentrate their efforts on improving the quality of the accommodation, both by adaptation and replacement, rather than by increasing the number of beds.