§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average annual cost of providing children's spectacles under the National Health Service.
60Wof the others were already in hospital awaiting transfer to geriatric beds. The Sheffield Regional Hospital Board is planning for 940 geriatric beds in the Nottingham area on the basis of the 1981 estimated elderly population and between now and 1981 hopes progressively to increase the number of beds to this number. Some of the new building will replace existing accommodation. One hundred and twenty new geriatric beds at Sherwood Hospital will be in use next year and there are plans to provide a further 180 beds there. The University Hospital will have a geriatric unit of 84 beds by 1978–79. As this hospital develops from 1976, beds in other hospitals will become available for conversion to geriatric use.
§ Mr. Whitlockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the shortages of nursing staff at each of the Nottingham hospitals.
§ Mr. AlisonThe number of nurses on 30th September, 1971—the latest date for which figures are available—in hospitals in the County Borough of Nottingham, compared with the nursing establishment for which the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board has allocated funds this year was as follows:
§ Mr. AlisonThe cost to public funds in 1970 was about £½ million in England, excluding the cost of sight tests.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many representations he has received about the 61W quality of children's spectacles provided under the National Health Service.
§ Mr. AlisonLess than 10 in the past five years.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to improve the quality of children's spectacles provided under the National Health Service.
§ Mr. AlisonWe are satisfied with the quality of the children's spectacles supplied under the National Health Service which have to comply with British Standards.