§ Mr. Pendryasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been (a) the total number of new hospital beds since May 1979 and (b) the total number of hospital beds closed, including those in hospitals which have been partially closed since May 1979 by region.
§ Mr. WhitneyI regret that there was an error in my reply of 16 December to the hon. Member. The figure for numbers of beds in hospitals or parts of hospitals approved for permanent closure between May 1979 and the end of June 1985 is 18,673.
The number of new hospital beds provided since 1979 and the number of hospital beds approved for closure from May 1979 to the end of June 1985 by region are as follows:
Region Closures Completed Northern 684 916 Yorkshire 1,865 763 Trent 2,343 2,177 East Anglian 503 1,264 North West Thames 1,851 368 North East Thames 2,093 579 South East Thames 660 590 South West Thames 1,456 554 Wessex 750 739 Oxford 985 265 South Western 690 355 West Midlands 2,060 711 Mersey 1,877 2,427 North Western 814 783 SHAs 42 —