§ Mr. Michael Cocksasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what number of psychiatric long-stay beds have been taken down or changed to alternative uses for the years 1960 to 1970, respectively, and what proportion this represents of the total number of psychiatric long-stay beds in the National Health Service for each of the years involved.
§ Mr. AlisonThe Department's records do not distinguish long-stay psychiatric beds. The table below relates to the average daily number of available beds in England and Wales for mental illness, child psychiatry, and chronic sick under psychiatric supervision.
Number of beds Reduction in number Percentage reduction 1960 153,195 — — 1961 150,688 2,507 1.64 1962 147,913 2,775 1.84 1963 146,253 1,660 1.12 1964 145,048 1,205 0.82 1965 143,258 1,790 1.23 1966 140,682 2,576 1.80 1967 138,785 1,897 1.35 1968 136,311 2,474 1.78 1969 133,617 2,694 1.98 1970 130,538 3,079 2.30 1960–70 — 22,657 14.80