§ Mr. Pendryasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of (a) new beds and (b) beds closed, including individual hospital wards since May 1979.
§ Mr. WhitneyFrom May 1979 to the end of June this year there were 18,325 beds in hospitals or parts of hospitals which have been approved for permanent closure. These are beds no longer sensibly required for patient services. Major hospital schemes (those costing £5 million or more) completed since 1979 have provided almost 12,500 new beds. Many smaller schemes have also provided new beds but full details of these are not available centrally.