Black Country

HC Deb 24 October 1979 vol 972 cc187-9W

Mr. Winnick

asked the Secretary of State for Industry (1) what action he now intends to take to assist the industrial and employment position in the

TABLE 2
MAJOR HEALTH SERVICE BUILDING PROGRAMME
	Number of additional geriatric beds
Health board	Planned	Under construction
Dumfries and Galloway	30	—
Fife	210	60
Grampian	30	30
Lothian	180	—
	450	90

Mr. Foulkes

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland which health boards operate waiting lists for geriatric beds and what is the current waiting list in each case; what methods are used by authorities which do not operate waiting lists to assess unsatisfied demand for geriatric beds; and what is their current assessment of such demand.

Mr. Fairgrieve

All health boards operate separate waiting lists for assessment and long-stay geriatric beds. Numbers waiting in each category, as at 31 March 1979, were as follows:

Black Country areas of the West Midlands, in view of the number of factory closures and redundancies which have taken place;

(2) what action he now intends to take to prevent more factory closures and redundancies in the Black Country areas of the West Midlands.

Mr. David Mitchell

The Government's policies are designed to encourage industrial expansion and employment throughout the country.