§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons in the parliamentary constituency of the Isle of Ely, or in Cambridgeshire if the Isle of Ely is not separately assessed, are now in receipt of some social security benefits; and what were the relevant figures in each of the last four years.
§ Mr. Orme,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 22nd May 1978, Vol. 950, c. 381], gave the following information:
I regret that only limited information, relating to the numbers of people receiving unemployment and supplementary benefits, is available. The numbers of people receiving unemployment benefit at the four unemployment benefit offices (UBOs) situated within the Isle of Ely constituency during the last three years were as follows:
estimated that almost all out-patients referred to Eltham and Mottingham Hospital live within a three mile radius from the hospital and would take an average of half an hour to reach it.
If the out-patient department were closed alternative facilities would have to be provided at one or more of the following hospitals:
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- Memorial—2.5 miles from Eltham and Mottingham Hospital.
- Brook General—2.4 miles from Eltham and Mottingham Hospital.
- Greenwich District—5.0 miles from Eltham and Mottingham Hospital.
- St. Nicholas—4.7 miles from Eltham and Mottingham Hospital.
Journeys to each of these four hospitals would be expected to take up to about an hour.
In-patients: In-patients come from a slightly wider catchment area. It is not possible to calculate actual journey times. When in-patient services are transferred from Eltham and Mottingham Hospital, some patients' relatives will have to travel further but others will have their travelling time reduced.