§ Mr. William Hannanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state for each of the years 1960, 1965 and 1970 the total number of beds in all hospitals under his administration; how many of each of those totals were for private patients; and how many of each category were empty at the most recent convenient date.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellThe numbers of staffed beds available in N.H.S. hospitals are as follows:
1960 1965 1970 63,548 62,689 62,954 The number of empty beds on 30th September, 1970, was 9,484.
In 1960 and 1965 there were respectively 848 and 614 beds set aside for private patients.
In terms of Section 1 of the Health Services and Public Health Act, 1968, no 119W individual beds are now set aside, but a maximum is fixed (for each hospital where private patients are treated) to the number who may be treated at any one time. In 1970, the maximum of private patients for all hospitals was 360, and the number being treated at 30th September, 1970, was 170. For the reason mentioned this has no significance in terms of "empty beds".