§ Mr. Wyne Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the weekly catering allowance per head in each area health authority area in Wales for (a) acute, (b) geriatric and (c) psychiatric 245W and mentally handicapped patients in NHS establishments.
§ Mr. Alec JonesThere is no centrally determined weekly catering allowance for patients in NHS hospitals. It is for each area health authority to decide how much of its revenue allocation should be devoted to this purpose. The Welsh Office, however, publishes recommended levels for expenditure on provisions, and has advised authorities that these may be revalued on a monthly basis by reference to changes in the cost of relevant items. The latest levels notified to authorities relate to February 1977 and are:
(a) Acute patients upper £5.83 lower £5.39 (b) Geriatric patients £5.39 (c) Psychiatric and mentally handicapped £5.24