§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current average weekly cost of keeping an elderly person in, respectively, a welfare home for the aged, sheltered housing, and a hospital geriatric ward; and what was this average cost in each case for each of the last five years.
§ Mr. AlisonThe latest available figures of average weekly cost for Welfare homes for the aged are:
£ 1970–71 15 1969–70 13 1968–69 12.50 1967–68 11.50 1966–67 11 Separate costs for hospital geriatric wards are not available, but for hospitals in 405W which the beds were wholly or predominantly allocated to geriatric patients the figures were:
£ 1970–71 29.40 1969–70 24.24 1968–69 23 1967–68 20.29 1966–67 19.33 Questions regarding sheltered housing are for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.
Current costs are not available.