HC Deb 26 January 1971 vol 810 c71W
68. Mr. Meacher

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what number of psychiatric beds per 1,000 population he is now planning for by 1975.

Mr. Alison

I expect the number of beds for the mentally ill in 1975 to be approximately 2.4 per 1,000 population, assuming that numbers continue to fall by about 3,000 a year. I do not expect any significant change in this period in the number of beds for the mentally handicapped which are approximately 1.3 per 1,000 population. Our present planning for the longer-term future is based on transition to a different organisation of services for which many fewer hospital in-patient beds would eventually be needed.