§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans she is making to implement the recommendations of the interim report of the Butler Committee on special hospitals; and what timetable she envisages for the opening of any new facilities or the rebuilding of existing ones.
§ Dr. OwenThe Butler Committee did not make any recommendation on special hospitals in its interim report, although it made observations about the overcrowded conditions at Broadmoor. As my right hon. Friend indicated in her reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Torney) on 18th July—[Vol. 877, c.225-7]—she accepts the interim report's recommendations that urgent action should be taken to establish regional security units within the National Health Service and that a supplementary financial allocation should be made for this purpose.
The circular which we issed in July envisaged that a substantial number of regional health authorities would begin work on the planning and construction of secure regional units—by adaptation or new building—in 1975–76 and that all regional health authorities would have started construction on adaptations by 1976–77. Discussions between authorities and officials of the Department on the provision of these units are under way.
As regards the special hospitals a new hospital called Park Lane Hospital, for 400 patients, is to be built at Maghull, Liverpool. Current plans are that building will start in September 1975 and be completed in two phases—the first about the end of 1977 and the second by the middle of 1979. An advance unit was 53W opened in October 1974, when 35 patients were transferred from Broadmoor, and up to 35 more will be similarly transferred in January 1975.
We also plan to rebuild Broadmoor Hospital, but no date can yet be given for completion of this project.