§ Miss Wrightasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is his estimate, at the latest convenient date, of the average cost of caring for patients in psychiatric hospitals;
(2) what is his estimate, at the latest convenient date, of the average cost of caring for patients in mental subnormality hospitals.
§ Sir George YoungThe average cost of caring for patients in mental illness and mental handicap hospitals in England was £95.20 and £81.62 per week respectively in 1977–78. Provisional figures indicate that the average costs in 1978–79 were about 15 per cent. higher.