§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients have been in mental hospitals for five years or more in Northern Ireland; and how this compares with the national average.
§ Mr. John PattenAt 31 December 1981, 2,110 patients had been in psychiatric hospitals in Northern Ireland for five years or more. This represented 55 per cent. of all patients in these hospitals at that date. For the purpose of comparison with the national average, the most recent information available is at 31 December 1979, when 55 per cent. of patients in psychiatric hospitals in Northern Ireland had been there for five years or more compared with a United Kingdom average of 44 per cent.